Armed with canines trained to sniff out drugs
, local, state and federal authorities watch the mail for packages like Wright’s as they come through the post office and carriers such as FedEx, UPS and DHL.
What happens if USPS finds drugs in a package?
Rather, they request consent from mailers or addressees to open detained packages. If there is no response after 21 days, packages are declared abandoned and can be opened.
When identified as non-mailable items, their contents are seized and disposed and mailable items are returned to the original addressees
.
Does USPS XRAY every package?
Is Mail X-Rayed?
Some of the mail that is sent through the United States Postal Service will pass through an X-Ray machine
. There are no specific guidelines as to what may or may not be x-rayed, though mail sent to or through larger cities is likely to pass through an X-Ray machine.
Do they have drug dogs at UPS?
Id.
The law enforcement officer uses a canine K9 drug dog to investigate packages at a UPS or FedEx shipping facility
. The officers are particularly interested in packages being shipped to a “source” state such as California.
Do drug dogs sniff USPS mail?
No, USPS, FedEx and UPS do not scan and use drug dogs on every package in their possession
. At USPS, the volume of parcels (6.2 billion in 2018) makes it impossible for every package to be vetted. Employees are trained to identify certain characteristics of packages which may indicate illegal contents.
Does USPS tell you if your package is seized?
Once the postal inspector receives the suspected mail, they will attempt to contact the sender or recipient and, if unsuccessful, scan it as “seized by law enforcement.”
The scan is visible in the Postal Service’s tracking system to the sender and recipient as well as postal personnel.
What makes a package suspicious USPS?
Items of unusual weight relative to their size, or that are lopsided or oddly shaped. Items which are sealed with excessive amounts of tape. An item containing a postmark which does not match the return address or bears an excessive amount of postage. Mailpiece is leaking an unknown powdery substance.
What happens if someone sends you drugs in the mail?
At LEAST 10 years of imprisonment, and up to a 10 Million dollar fine (for first offense)
. At LEAST 20 years of imprisonment, and up to a 20 Millon dollar fine (for second offense). Other penalties depending on drug type and quantity transported.
Are packages checked for drugs?
Private carriers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can inspect packages shipped into the country
. There is no “distinct penalty” for using the Postal Service to ship illegal drugs. There is “a need for the Postal Service to educate employees about the dangers of colluding with drug traffickers.”
Do mail carriers know what’s in your package?
Seasoned professionals like your mail carrier know there’s something scintillating in the box. The giveaway is the return address.
Mail carriers know the locations of big sex toy and alcohol distributors, and they know if you’re getting unmarked packages from those places, it means you placed an order.
Can USPS look through your mail?
4. Can Postal Inspectors open mail if they feel it may contain something illegal? First-Class letters and parcels are protected against search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, and, as such,
cannot be opened without a search warrant
.
Does USPS scan for liquids?
When you bring your mail to the post office,
employees will ask if there are any liquids, flammable, or hazardous material inside the package
. It’s your responsibility to make sure anything you mail complies with what’s allowed. Each local post office has an area where non-mailable items are detained.
Does USPS look inside packages?
Each post office employee is specifically trained to notice packages that are out of place or look odd
. They also have specialized technology in some facilities that sniffs out explosives or chemicals that are inside mail.
Does USPS track how many times you track a package?
USPS® package tracking is automatically included with all USPS domestic shipping products with the exception of commercial Standard Mail packages (tracking feature can be added for an extra fee).
Your package is scanned up to 13 times throughout its journey
, starting at the postal facility.
Can you ship medicine USPS?
Medicines are controlled substances and are subject to strict regulations.
Prescription medications may only be mailed by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registered distributors
. Similar regulations apply to some over-the-counter medications.
Will I get in trouble if my package is seized?
It is best not to contact any authority to inquire about the shipment status if it already shows that it was seized by law enforcement. Doing so will
most likely result in an investigation or arrest
as it is illegal to ship drugs through any federal or private carriers.
What does it mean when USPS is in possession of item?
If the item was scanned in the office, either at the retail counter or on the back dock, the event will display as ‘USPS in possession of item’.
The item was refused at the time delivery was attempted or after delivery to customer
. One or more of the address elements was incorrect, and the item could not be delivered.
How are drugs detected in mail?
Use x-ray diffraction
: This technology diffracts (spreads) a broad-spectrum x-ray beam over a package to quickly detect its contents. (X-rays can detect chemicals by “seeing” how the atoms in a substance are arranged.) Then, the diffraction patterns are compared with patterns that are created by illegal drugs.
