Japanese YouTuber helps carry M'sian stranger's belongings so she can avoid excess airport baggage fees, netizens warn her to travel safely

A Japanese travel YouTuber drew widespread attention on X after sharing how she helped a Malaysian stranger avoid excess baggage fees at Kansai International Airport by transferring 4kg of the woman's belongings into her own bag.

She was subsequently warned by netizens that the well-meaning act could have had dangerous consequences.

The traveller, who goes by @A_chan_tgb on X, posted about the encounter, explaining that the Malaysian woman's luggage came in at 19kg against a 15kg limit.

This would have meant paying 12,000 yen (S$96.25) in excess baggage fees.

To spare her the charge, A-chan offered to take 4kg of the woman's items into her own bag.

In her post, she admitted she had briefly wondered whether the items could contain drugs, but brushed off the thought and proceeded to help.

She wrote that she hoped someone would help her out too if she were ever in a difficult situation.

Drug trafficking tactic

The post quickly attracted warnings from other users, many of whom pointed out that carrying a stranger's belongings through an airport is a well-known drug trafficking tactic.

One user, @chitekinajyosei, wrote:

“This is the kind of thing that could get you the death penalty. Depending on the destination or transit country, if drugs are found, you could be arrested and face the death penalty. Women who are naive should be especially careful. ‘The world is not as lenient as Japan.'”

Another user, @arcurd00, wrote:

“This is absolutely not okay. Your kindness is truly wonderful, but there is a possibility of getting involved in a crime. Depending on the country and what the item is, there was a possibility that you could never return to Japan.”

A-chan responds

Although nothing untoward occurred from this incident, A-chan acknowledged the criticism and said she had not realised how dangerous her actions were at the time.

She replied:

“I was being naive living in Japan’s peaceful bubble. I learned from everyone that it was quite a dangerous act. I travel abroad often so I will absolutely never do this again.”

In a separate post, she added:

"It was a very good memory because I helped her out of kindness and exchanged contact information with her. But it was a very dangerous act. Thank you for saying that. I will travel safely from now on."

Japan Customs' website includes advisories warning travellers about drug smuggling as well as being unknowingly recruited as a drug mule.

This can occur through being asked to carry someone's luggage or belongings, or by being contacted with a request to transport documents or items internationally.

"Be careful of the offer that sounds too good to be true," the advisory wrote.