Texas UPS employees charged with trafficking cocaine in packages

The United Parcel Service (UPS) logo is displayed on a delivery truck.

The United Parcel Service (UPS) logo is displayed on a delivery truck.

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Two UPS employees have been accused of taking part in a larger drug trafficking operation by transporting packages of cocaine through their work. The two employees, Orlando Candelario Almanza, 49, of Edinburg, and Fidencio Salinas Jr., 51, of Pharr, were arrested along with three other people on February 21. They were charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to a news release

The other three arrested in the trafficking operation include 48-year-old Javier Enrique Mendoza, 58-year-old Jose Felipe Lozano, and 45-year-old Enrique Bernardo Gamez. Almanza and Salinas allegedly transported the packages of cocaine that were provided to them by Mendoza. Reportedly, Lozano printed out the fake shipping labels and Gamez stored the packages of cocaine at his home before they were distributed. 

The group allegedly trafficked the cocaine from March 24 through October 3, 2022. Law enforcement seized around 60 kilograms of cocaine allegedly trafficked by all five people. Almanza and Salinas were set to appear before a judge on Tuesday, February 27. 

A trial date has not been set but if all five are convicted then they face life in prison and a possible $10 million fine. 

In 2019, UPS employees in Tucson were arrested for running a similar trafficking scheme, using simple cardboard boxes to transport marijuana, cocaine, and fake vaping oils. The ringleader of that bust was a 20-year UPS employee and supervisor named Mario Barcelo who made sure the packages went on the correct trucks.

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