Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the suspect was an employee of the UPS store. The suspect was reported to police by a UPS employee and does not work at the facility. We apologize for the error.
A 33-year-old man, formerly a resident of Alexandria, is being held without bond for multiple narcotics possession charges. The man was allegedly getting his drugs mailed to a local UPS Store.
The suspect was arrested on multiple narcotics possession charges in December 2024, after a search of his apartment in the West End. The suspect was released on bond and was then rearrested on June 11, after an employee at the UPS Store in Annandale reported to police that he was receiving packages of drugs, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
“During the (Dec. 2024 search), various controlled substances to include fentanyl, methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms and pills, as well as packaging material and U.S. currency was seized,” according to the search warrant affidavit. “During the search, (police) also observed United States Postal Service (USPS) boxes inside the residence.”
The suspect “admitted using the mail to receive narcotics,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.
On May 29, an inspector with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) reported receiving a suspicious USPS Priority small flat-rate box. The package was addressed to the suspect at the UPS store. On June 2, an employee at the store called the police to report that the suspect, who was also the intended recipient of the parcel, had been identified, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Inside the box, police found 0.7 pounds of methamphetamine (a Schedule II controlled substance). APD found the return address in California, and the name of the sender was invalid.
By this point, the suspect had relocated from Alexandria to a new apartment in Fairfax County, which was less than two miles from the UPS Store, according to the search warrant affidavit.
The suspect faces multiple felony charges, including displaying a firearm while selling Schedule I/II drugs, possession with intent to distribute Schedule I/II and IV drugs, and distributing more than 10 grams of methamphetamine.
The suspect’s preliminary hearing is on Tuesday, July 22.
