In January 2021, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were investigating a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in New York and New Jersey. The group was trafficking large quantities of cocaine through the U.S. Mail, and as soon as investigators found clues to possible postal employee collusion, they reached out to our Office of Investigations.
Our special agents zeroed in on a suspect who began his career with the Postal Service four years earlier. They found a pattern of suspicious parcels from Puerto Rico destined to his route, so investigators decided to carry out a sting operation to positively identify his role with the DTO.
The sting went down around the delivery of a suspicious package in December 2021. After observing his activities, the employee was arrested and found carrying 3 kilos of cocaine having an approximate street value of $200,000. Upon a consensual search of his home, our special agents found more cocaine.
The employee confessed to using his access to Postal Service operations to help move illegal drugs throughout New Jersey. He resigned from USPS in July 2022 and in May 2024 was sentenced to almost five years in federal prison.
Help protect USPS employees and the American public: if you suspect or know of narcotics trafficking involving Postal Service employees or contractors, please report it to our Hotline.