AITA for refusing to take my friends package with me internationally without opening and checking it first?

A Reddit user shares a nerve-wracking experience where their friend asked them to take a package on an international flight and deliver it to someone overseas. When the user asked to open the package for safety reasons, their friend refused, saying it contained “sensitive content.”

This led to a heated argument, with the friend calling the user selfish and cutting off contact. Given the potential risks and shady context, including rumors about the recipient’s criminal history, the user wonders if they were wrong to refuse the favor. Read the full story below!

‘ AITA for refusing to take my friends package with me internationally without opening and checking it first?’

I will soon be flying to the other side of the world, and my friend asked me to take a package with me and deliver it to her friend who lives in the country I am flying to. Now, I trust my friend with my life, but I told her that since it’s an international flight and taking unneeded risks are unwise, I would appreciate it if I can open the package, with her present, and look through it just to make sure there’s nothing “undesirable” in it.

My friend immediately gets offended, and she even starts yelling at me, telling me how she can’t believe that I don’t trust her, and that I am invading her privacy. She told me I’m being selfish and paranoid, and that she won’t let me see inside the package because it has “sensitive content”. That ended up freaking me out more so I told her that I can’t do it if I can’t make sure it’s safe, and that I’m sorry.

She started to cry and left the room. She later left me a text saying I’m selfish and that she doesn’t want to talk to me anymore. While I feel bad, I have heard all kinds of stories and I don’t want to put into a position where I am responsible for whatever “sensitive content” in her package.. Reddit, AITA?

Edit1: a comment here made me want to add more context. I trust my friend a lot, but I should mention that my friend is known to cultivate weed and then store them in spice jars. I could have sworn I heard noises of glass in the package and she has joked before that she could smuggle weed disguised as a spice or h**b or something and that “they wouldn’t know a thing”. I do trust her, but I just want peace of mind you know. I’m sad she’s offended but I just wish she could understand my POV

Edit2: Wow! I woke up to so much engagement in this post! Thank you all for your replies and assuring me I’m NTA! And thanks for the awards! As for updates, my friend hasn’t spoken to me since the incident and has had a message delivered to me via mutual friend saying the only way she’ll talk to me is if I take this package from her, and “trust in our friendship”.

However, I heard from my other friend that the person I was supposed to deliver the package to has a reputation involving dr**s, and while we didn’t get into details my friend just said “and not for using them”. I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything, rumors fly and innocent until proven guilty, but I am definitely not taking that package anymore, unless I can get a pretty good look at it.

Edit3: I just saw a comment asking me if I know a Jason who stores Olives in his fridge, I replied this to them: “Sorry for replying late! Funny enough, her boyfriends name is Jason! Fun fact to enhance this story, he loves a show called breaking bad so bad that he legally gave himself the middle name Walter! But sadly I do not know if they keep their olives refrigerated.”

I just read the story in question about Jason and his refrigerated olives, there may be a connection! But then again, most likely not. I’ll try my best to do some digging (but if I’m being honest, I’m kind of freaked out enough by the situation to avoid “investigating” anything for my own safety) and I’ll update this story as long as you guys are interested! Once again thank you all!

Final Update: Thank you all for all the awards and comments. I’m known to be a huge pushover, and my friend knows this to be true and she can be pretty m**ipulative and caused me to second guess myself. She also still isn’t talking to me, which is fine by me.

As for the package, our mutual friend found the box it was supposed to be shipped in by the trash in front of her house so I guess she’s not shipping it anymore. I don’t know what was in it, but all evidence and other context which is too long to post points to it being a “substance”. At This point, I’m hoping that it was just weed and not something more dangerous. Once again, thank you everyone!

See what others had to share with OP:

FeralHat −  NTA – major red flag. Don’t f**king do it.

StAlvis −  NTA. She told me I’m being selfish and paranoid. “Paranoid” is **exactly** what any reasonable person *should be* in this super-sketchy situation.

Haber87 −  NTA. Customs asks if you’ve packed everything yourself. You would either have to:

1. admit that you hadn’t and they’d open it in front of you

2. or lie (which is a crime) and say that you had, at which point your sweat, twitchy eyes or guilty voice would give it away and they’d open it in front of you

MonkeyNacho −  NTA. That’s how you get sent to prison. Customs would have opened it anyway.

antiquity_queen −  NTA. Under no circumstances should you ever, and I do mean ever, take a package for anyone without seeing what is in it with your own eyes and then packing it immediately after.

HowardProject −  NTA – your friend’s reaction should tell you everything you need to know – she’s not your friend and she’s going to get you f***** over International and that s*** is serious jail time

jennylouwhoo −  NTA she can mail it if she doesn’t want you to know what’s in it.

lapsteelguitar −  I would open the package for a domestic flight. An international flight is even riskier. So don’t talk to her. Works for everybody.

CT0760 −  NTA, the rules at an airport say dont take things for other people if you dont know what it is. You could unknowingly be a mule and get arrested. You made a reasonable request and were gaslighted by your friend, you arent the AH, your friend is. If she wanted something sent without going thru it she can have it delivered herself thru the mail, dhl, ups, fedex, etc…

CryExotic3558 −  NTA at all. This is how people end up in foreign prisons.

Was the Redditor justified in refusing to take the package, even if it upset their friend? Or should trust in a friendship outweigh such concerns? Have you ever been in a similar situation where you had to prioritize your safety over a favor? Share your thoughts in the comments!