Investigative Case Highlights

By focusing on investigating Postal Service employees who collude with drug trafficking organizations, most of our investigations target larger, multi-state operations. But as for keeping drugs out of America’s mail, no narcotics investigation is too small.

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.

It started in June 2021: A suspicious package was on its way to southern New Jersey from sunny California. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service seized and searched the 8-lb. parcel, confirming suspicions that it contained illegal drugs. Postal inspectors immediately notified the USPS OIG — sometimes USPS employees get involved in drug trafficking schemes, and that’s something our special agents exclusively investigate.

Postal Service careers can be very rewarding, but it takes newcomers — almost a quarter of its current workforce — time to advance to positions that can lock in the next level of benefits. That’s part of the reason “career employees” — the other three quarters of the workforce — see a lot less turnover compared to their counterparts. But there’s a sure way any employee can throw away a hard-earned career with USPS: by breaking the law.

Our partnerships with law enforcement agencies are essential in the fight against mail-related crimes, especially narcotics trafficking. And as drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) have grown more sophisticated in their use of the U.S. Mail for their distribution networks, concerted efforts against them are now more important than ever. A recently closed case highlights how successful collaborations are disrupting and even dismantling entire DTOs.