Today Attorney General Eric Holder Testified Before U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
WASHINGTON (WNEW) – Attorney General Eric Holder told a Senate committee on Thursday that there is a “shocking” number of people who are using the U.S. Postal Service to send illegal drugs around the country.
Speaking at the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Thursday, Holder agreed with Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski that “the mails” are the vehicle for drugs that are causing a “devastating impact” on rural communities.
“The postal service, — the mails are — being used to facilitate drug dealing,” Holder said. “It is shocking to see the amount of drugs that get pumped into communities all around this country through our mail system, and we have to deal with that.”
Sen. Murkowski and the nation’s top law-enforcement official said the postal service has the ability to reach the remote communities, often with ease.
“We’re seeing some really devastating impact in our very, very remote communities where the only way to get these drugs in is by the mail, and the drugs are coming into the community through the mails,” Murkowski told the committee.
“Through the post office?” interrupted a surprised Sen. Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat.
“Through the United States post office, madam chairman,” Murkowski replied. “We need to get on it yesterday.”
Holder: Postal Service Mail Used For ‘Shocking’ Amount Of drug dealing
While mailing narcotics is a federal offense, many local cases are prosecuted in state court because of the relatively small amount of drugs involved. Nationwide, there were 1,760 arrests related to narcotics shipments in fiscal year 2012 — a 33 percent jump from the previous year and more than twice the number reported six years ago, according to U.S. Postal Inspection Service figures.
Drawn by the anonymity and affordability of the mail, dealers calculate that a high percentage of their crop will proceed unmolested among the more than 500 million pieces of mail processed every day. Many of the packages are addressed to fictitious names or businesses and include disconnected phone numbers, which can complicate criminal investigations.
“The trick is figuring out who’s supposed to receive it,” said Chief Deputy Tony Bacala of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies arrested a St. Amant man in June after he accepted a package containing marijuana.
Chuck Wagner, a local postal inspector, wrote in a recent court filing that Express Mail, in particular, has been used to ship narcotics. “The use of Express Mail is favored because of the reliability, speed and relatively low cost of this service,” Wagner wrote, “as well as the perceived minimal chance of detection of narcotics when shipped in this manner.”
Postal investigators target drug trade through U.S. mail
Believe it or not drugs are being shipped in the mail. For a month straight, inspectors and drug sniffing dogs met our 2ton when it came back from the airport with the x-press for five different cities. They found at least 3 packages every day containing drugs.
we deliver (I assume) drugs every day from one Somalian from the UK to another Somalian in Maine.. The Declaration form always states (baby clothes).. The Inspection Service does not give a hoot about it.. We’ve advised them (USPS) about it and to NO avail.. At least they could get the shipper for FRAUD since they claim it’s baby clothes..
We are losing are best customers for Express Mail every time we bust one of our customers. I told the local Narc Inspector that last week and he just gave me that dumb look. This is why we keep losing revenue. I hate all forms of smoke ,including vapors.But in the next 5 years Marijuana will be legal in 40 States. So we should go ahead and start shipping it now. They are also talking about shipping Liquor and, Cigarettes though the mail also.
Aren’t congress, the DEA, FBI, DHS, and numerous other State and local police agencies already wasting enough time on the war on drugs? Why drag USPS in to it too? Let’s just end the war on drugs and 75% of the problem will be solved, probably with enough $$ left over to pay the deficit too…
Umm, how does Holder KNOW drugs are being successfully delivered by the USPS undetected? Me thinks thou doeth protest too much!
If they are so sure this is going on, why haven’t they stopped it? Its just something else that “somebody said” without any proof. If this is true and we have so many ways to detect drugs, why don’t they figure out a way to detect them? DUH
Now we agree TSP
Sheer volume and chronic understaffing at every level except management also contribute to the problem. People shipping weed or other drugs aren’t stupid – they have learned to wrap their packages carefully so even the best drug sniffing dogs can’t detect them. One tip off inspectors should consider is the use of fictitious names. If somebody is regularly getting packages that doesn’t, such as a home business, receive anything else in that name, including utilities, personal mail, etc., there’s a good chance it’s dope. It isn’t just rural, either. Many dealers figure the PO is too lazy to scan packages properly, and take chances. With no return address, or a name the carrier doesn’t recognize, the odds are in their favor.
Simple steps could be taken. For example, the USPS could refuse any parcel business in any class not containing a verifiable return address. Granted they couldn’t verify names per se, but all routes and their 3999’s are accessible, and at least you could figure out if the address exists. But it will never go away, so I doubt Holder’s tough talk will amount to anything but lip service.
Even more shocking is why this criminal, Holder, isn’t behind bars himself.