FBI Recovers $200K Worth Of Stolen iPhones, iPads And More In Major UPS Driver Bust
A Texas UPS employee has been arrested and charged for stealing more than $200,000 of high-value merchandise during his five-year tenure with the company. The Cameron Country Attorney's Office (CCDA) in Brownsville, TX, made the arrest at the suspect's home, along with the help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), UPS Security, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Some of the recovered items include Apple iPhones, iPads, AirPods Maxes, designer clothing, smartwatches, luxury items by Louis Vitton, Ferragamo, and Fendi, and more.
According to a press release by Luis V. Saenz at the CCDA, 37-year old Arnando Garcia was taken into custody as well as charged for theft of more than $200k-worth of items from his workplace, UPS Brownsville Distribution Center. The stolen goods were tracked to Garcia's residence in San Benito, which led "law enforcement to obtain and execute a search warrant with the assistance of HSI agents." Garcia was home when the police searched his house, and was duly arrested without incident. The former UPS employee was slapped with multiple felony charges, although investigation is still ongoing to uncover any potential accomplices.
.jpg)
The arrest follows a multi-agency investigation between the CCDA, McAllen FBI, HSI, and UPS Security. It was UPS Security that brought the matter to the eyes of the authorities due to "missing high-value parcels." Police investigators were ultimately able to trace the stolen goods back to Garcia's home. Saenz said of the theft scheme, "This was a deliberate and organized effort to steal high-value merchandise meant for paying customers," and that its Special Investigation Unit is committed to "ensure those who engage in financial crimes are held accountable."
Package theft continues to haunt shipping companies like UPS, USPS, and Fedex. While package loss is truly inevitable at times, we've seen package theft being committed by citizens and employees alike. Garcia's scheme is a blatant act of taking advantage of loopholes within the system, and although details of how he (and possibly his partners-in-crime) pulled the crime off, it likely involved spoofing UPS' security protocols, such as the requirement for all drivers to take photo proof of delivered packages.
So if you happen to be missing a Hermes purse or Apple iPhone that was said to have been delivered by UPS, log into your UPS account (or use the provide tracking number) to see if any proof-of-delivery photo exists. We also suggest getting a security camera, which if nothing else, could prove that a package was not delivered even if tracking data suggests otherwise. A few options...
Photo credits: CCDA (via Facebook)
