[New York Post] Four UPS employees were arrested in the bust of a "sophisticated" drug- and cash-smuggling scheme that saw traffickers using the delivery service to ship counterfeit vape pens and other illicit goods from Mexico into the US for more than a decade, according to new reports.The accused ringleader was a 20-year veteran of the shipping service at the company’s Tucson distribution center, who authorities allege used his position to hide the origin and destination of each illicit package, the Washington Post reported.
A total of 11 people have been collared in the bust, which capped a two-year investigation into the shipment of large amounts of narcotics to destinations throughout the eastern United States and bulk cash sent back to the Tucson, Arizona, area. The case is being handled by the Arizona Attorney General’s office.
UPS employees ‐ both drivers and supervisors ‐ used "sophisticated methods and techniques" to avoid detection by company officials and law enforcement to "identify and intercept parcels containing contraband," ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts-O’Keefe told the Tucson Sentinel.
Dispatch supervisor Mario Barcelo, 49 ‐ the accused ringleader ‐ allegedly used his clout to ensure drug-packed boxes made their way onto certain trucks, and which slyly bypassed security measures in order to be delivered on time to the intended destination, according to the Washington Post.
The other UPS employees were identified as supervisor Gary Love, 40; and drivers Michael Castro, 34; and Thomas Mendoza, 47.