Numerous Arab holidaymakers and foreign expats say when they travel abroad they invariably find tricksters at airports. The charade goes like this: the conman approaches asking for an urgent favor. They usually ask for help with dispatching a parcel, small bag or envelope to their relatives back home. In most cases they claim they are medicines or important documents. The reality however is that they invariably contain some sort of contraband. Unfortunately, the unwitting helpers ordeal with the authorities begins henceforth as the law does not excuse gullible fools. Yousil Sulaiman, an Egyptian investor in the Kingdom, says he has been approached dozens of times. “You should not accept any request from strangers stationed at airports to carry 'medicine' or 'documents',” said Sulaiman. His reluctance stems from his belief that there are many faster and cheaper means for dispatching such packages. Yousif Al-Mashraf, a Syrian, said a few years ago a woman at Damascus Airport asked his friend to take a small envelope to her son in Riyadh. His friend took it with him and to his shock the police held him for carrying contraband with him. He said when the police contacted the man to whom the box belonged, the man simply denied that he had any connection. Al-Mashraf says that ever since his friend's unfortunate episode he decided never to take anything from anyone at an airport. Muhammad Al-Jundi, a financial controller and director of the Egyptians Expatriate Society Trans World, said agreeing to carry a package for anyone you meet at the airport is a big mistake. He said his father always tells him not to agree to any requests at the airport. He said one day he met someone at the airport who asked him to add their bag to his luggage because he was overweight. He declined saying he could not add a bag which he did know the contents of. Adel Hefni, an Egyptian investor, who has been in the Kingdom for more than 25 years said once while returning from his annual holidays his brother's friend asked him to take an envelope to his brother in Riyadh. Shortly after, a lawyer friend came to bid him farewell and was alarmed that the envelope contained a narcotic called “Tramadole”. He volunteered to return the envelope immediately to the friend and from that day they severed all ties with him because of this devious act. __
