UPS employees allegedly ran drug, vaping pen trafficking ring for at least a decade

Authorities have arrested at least 11 people, including four UPS employees, over the last two weeks on a slate of charges in a decadelong investigation into an alleged drug trafficking ring, which officials say used UPS shipments to send drugs and counterfeit vaping oils from Mexico across the U.S.

The group, which was apprehended in Tucson, Ariz., moved up to thousands of pounds of marijuana and narcotics each week into the U.S. from Mexico, The Washington Post reported. They used standard cardboard boxes routed through UPS’s trucking and delivery systems, according to authorities on a task force of local, state and federal law enforcement.

At least two of the people charged were UPS supervisors and drivers.

Investigators from the Counter Narcotics Alliance accused Mario Barcelo — a 20-year UPS employee and dispatch supervisor — of being the ringleader of the operation. He allegedly used his supervisory position in the Tucson distribution facility to direct shipments of drugs onto the correct trucks to ensure that they were delivered without any interference from authorities and bypassed other security measures. 

Tucson-area law enforcement had tracked Barcelo since at least 2009. Authorities were reportedly frustrated with UPS for allegedly not cooperating “proactively” with them to intercept potential crimes. 

Authorities said, for example, that they were prevented in 2017 from entering a facility in Tucson after learning of a potential shipment. 

“He’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, the Post reported. “They’ve been doing it for so long that they were truly comfortable that they were never going to get caught.”

The ring expanded over time, beginning with marijuana and expanding to more valuable drugs and vaping pens.

“Their sales pitch was that because of who Barcelo was at UPS, he could make sure your package will make it out without anyone finding it,” Kaderly said. “He had face time with traffickers.”

Prosecutors in the Arizona attorney general’s office have reportedly held some details of the case from public records, as more arrests are expected. According to documents obtained by the Post, the case made progress in 2017, when authorities targeted some of the UPS drivers allegedly involved in the ring who were able to grant investigators access to UPS’s fraud and security divisions.

Authorities reportedly posed as drug traffickers and contacted associates of Barcelo to ship fake cocaine and cash during 2018 and 2019. They placed trackers inside the boxes to track the shipments’ movement, and investigators tapped the phones of UPS employees and obtained video footage of employees coordinating the loading, shipping and handling of the decoys.

Along with Barcelo, UPS supervisor Gary Love and drivers Michael Castro and Thomas Mendoza are charged with money laundering, drug possession and drug distribution. Seven others are facing charges on shipping drugs and operating stash houses.  

Raul Garcia Cordova was arrested Nov. 21 on more than a dozen charges. Police raided his home and seized a boat, a Chevrolet Corvette and a Range Rover as well as 50,000 counterfeit vaping pens.

UPS said in a statement to The Hill that it is cooperating fully with law enforcement professionals and “will continue to provide information as needed.”

The Arizona Attorney General’s office declined to comment to The Hill. 

Updated 9:30 p.m.