After importing and trafficking large amounts of drugs as well as counterfeit vaping oil from Mexico, multiple UPS workers have been charged with drug trafficking.
In an investigation, which began in 2009, authorities identified the ringleader as 49-year-old Mario Barcelo, who was a supervisor and employee for the company for 20 years.
Overall, 11 employees have been arrested in connection to the crime within the past two weeks, with four people being charged so far.
For 10 years, these UPS workers moved thousands of pounds of drugs – including narcotics and marijuana- every week throughout the United States.
“[Barcelo’s] been able to provide this service to drug traffickers without being detected both internally and externally by law enforcement for years,” Tucson Police Sgt. William Kaderly said. “’They’ve been doing it for so long that they were truly comfortable that they were never going to get caught.”
Money made from the lucrative operations went to luxurious items such as vehicles, homes, and even vacations.
The scheme was able to go on for so long because the employees were using cardboard boxes through private mail carrier’s trucking and delivery systems, according to authorities.
While UPS has released a statement announcing the company is cooperating with law enforcement, the company also says that they are “not at liberty to discuss the details of the arrests as this is an ongoing investigation.
