As we rely more on home delivery, it’s important to consider what can happen between the moment a package leaves the sender and when it arrives in your hands. This week’s Weird and Wacky brings you stories that highlight how some individuals take advantage of this vulnerable journey.
Porch Pirate in Prime Costume
When you’re waiting for a delivery, the sight of an Amazon driver pulling up usually brings relief, right? Not for residents in Washington County, Oregon! Jamie Lee Baxter decided to don an Amazon vest and start “delivering”—to himself. In a not-so-genius plan, he swiped packages off porches, while decked out in full delivery gear.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Baxter took things up a notch by stealing spray paint and using it to vandalize cars. His clever disguise couldn’t fool the authorities for long, and now he’s facing charges. Package delivery might be convenient, but apparently, it’s also an opportunity for opportunistic porch pirates to strike!
United Pilfering Service
In Winnipeg, the next leg of the delivery chain brought us to a far bigger operation. Orville Beltrano, a UPS employee, wasn’t just helping deliver your latest Apple products—he was allegedly rerouting them to his own pocket.
Marrero’s sneaky setup went undetected for several months before Navy officials uncovered the Starlink dish and launched an investigation. Marrero was found guilty of dereliction of duty and providing false official statements during her court-martial and was ultimately demoted. While her tech-savvy approach may have made her popular among a select few on board, it ultimately cost her rank and reputation.
Who checks the cheques?
Finally, in Philadelphia, we follow our packages to the last step in their journey—the postal service. Saahir Irby, a mail handler, had a different kind of delivery in mind: U.S. Treasury cheques! Irby decided to pocket 112 Treasury cheques while working at a mail sorting facility. His plan?
However, surveillance footage reportedly revealed that no such attack occurred, leading investigators to confront Herring. Faced with the evidence, Herring admitted to cutting his own hands in an attempt to get time off, telling authorities, “My goal was to have the summer off because it was too hot down there.”
Take them out for a joyride to a casino. Unfortunately for him, law enforcement wasn’t rolling the dice. He was soon arrested, and the checks were found in his vehicle. It’s a grim reminder that even when mail is in the hands of a trusted carrier, not every handler plays by the rules.
From the moment a package leaves the sender until it reaches its final destination, there’s a whole chain of individuals involved. This week’s Weird and Wacky shows us how things can go wrong at any stage. Whether it’s a fake Amazon driver swiping your porch deliveries, an insider UPS job, or a mail handler pocketing checks, there’s a lot to consider when you’re clicking “order now.” As home delivery becomes more common, so do the strange and unfortunate mishaps along the way.
