usps seized by law enforcement letter

The packages did not reach their intended destinations until June 6, having been held for more than 24 hours by the Postal Inspection Service (the law enforcement arm of the USPS) without reasonable suspicion, probable cause, or a warrant. What should I do? To this day, Movement Ink is struggling to recover from these blows to its reputation and business. In the case of trade restrictions, the contents of the package are not necessarily important. The best way to approach this is to seek legal help and proceed step by step in order to reclaim your seized packages. Here, the burden of proof is on you to prove that the shipping package is duty paid and comply with other rules and regulations. Protestors gather on the south side of the State House in support of . Our efforts include direct lawsuits against government officials at all stages of litigation (such as our cases on behalf ofSylvia Gonzalez,Erma Wilson,Cassi Pollreis,Hamdi Mohamud, andKevin Byrd), appellate briefs in support of individuals who have suffered at the hands of government officials, and outreach to members of the public who want to know more about the difficulties of suing governments and their employees for violating individual rights. Eighteen of 30 (60 percent) postal inspectors we interviewed did not properly document ANP program activities to support workhours. On June 3, 2020, Ren packaged a second batch of masks in neat, nondescript, cleanly taped brown boxesboxes no different than those from Amazon or Target, and no different from a first batch he shipped without incident just days before. Tech entrepreneur and founder of Tech Medic, who has become a prominent advocate for the Right to Repair movement. The final justification for the seizures said they were mailedfroma known drug source area, which, again, could apply to any major city (and was apparently not even based on an accurate assessment of where the packages originated). If the K-9 alerts the law enforcement or police officers by sensing the smell of the suspicious contents inside, the police will put it aside and inspect it manually. These exceptions are limited, but a ricin threat in the mail system might justify searching your mail. So i checked the tracking and it says "seized by Law Enforcement". Every day, a lot of shipping packages and merchandise are examined, detained, and seized from the U.S. Customs and other law enforcement officers during checks at the airports, seaports, and other border crossings. Based on that, U.S. Customs will eventually either grant release of the seized shipping package or reject the petition and decide not to release the packaged seized. Sometimes the employees progress is not good. Read about IJs most important work with stories directly from the people in the trenches. The mail that is sent through the USPS will go through an X-Ray machine. Suppose he commits a crime; he must go to prison due to his crimes. Implement a periodic review process to ensure evidence bags contain proper dates and initials; and ensure drug weight is accurately recorded in the tracking system. With protests happening daily, time was of the essence. One of the most common issues is that your package was not scanned in the way that it was supposed to be. This one is also pretty easy to understand. As a reminder, this subreddit is not an extension of official USPS customer service therefore inquiries by customers may be removed by mods if a question is answered by the FAQ or the post is in violation of our rules. The Postal Service's tracking system shows the scans to the sender and recipient. The U.S. postal service assigns the tracking number when you post your package. Permitless carry bill will only reap senseless bloodshed | The State Chat us for guest posts and personalized ads. Cookie Notice But even without a warrant, there are a few situations in which police can still read your mail. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This was hard, labor-intensive work. Your attorney can successfully discredit K-9s alert (sniff!) The function of this firm is processing and checking all mails packages and delivering them to the respective person. My fiance received a certified letter from the USPS saying that they intercepted a package containing marijuana addressed to you. But that made no sense, because the shipping label clearly stated that the parcels originated from Ren and Movement Ink in Oakland. What happens when a package is intercepted? An item with a postmark that doesnt match the return address or that has too much postage. USPS seized my package, along with everyone elses who ordered - Reddit The last box of the batch was stuffed so full that it bulged at the seams a bit. According to the USPS, "first class letters and parcels are protected against search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, and, as such, cannot be opened without a search warrant." Such fourth amendment prohibitions don't necessarily attach to searches by private companies such as UPS and FedEx. If there is no response after 21 days, packages are declared abandoned and can be opened. Some tests damage the thing under suspicion, and other tests can even render the contents contaminated (ironic, right?). The reason for sending cash through an insured parcel can be many; however, police will mostly stick to their convenient belief that it is secretly sent for or to assist criminal activity. Call 813-250-0500. Some people think that the Fourth Amendment protects them from having their packages searched, so they try to send drugs through the mail. When Ren and his clients checked the tracking numbers, they were greeted by a cryptic and disturbing message: Alert, Seized by Law Enforcement.. Well first off, dont panic. Scary letter from USPS Help! - Legal Answers - Avvo Seized by law enforcement If someone you know had a pack caught and you was getting updates for them through the text service that updates package status. Instead of becoming a leading supplier of political Covid-protective masks and other political apparel, Ren became an outcast, with a substantial, steady revenue opportunity goneand his efforts to aid the protest movement sullied. In a nationwide advisory Dec. 17, USPIS said the problem of counterfeits sold online "has escalated." Drug packages can be screened by postal inspectors. Although California is a pot-legal state, it is a felony under 18 U.S. Code 1716 to mail weed using the United States Postal Service even within the territorial limits of California. You are not bound to pay any extra checking to track because it is included in your pay for posting the mails. Rather, they request consent from mailers or addressees to open detained packages. Countries are careful to prevent invasive species, disease vectors, and other problems from crossing a border via agriculture. First, the internal postal system notes documenting the seizures indicate that the officials inexplicably claimed that the packages were sent from Eurekaa city 275 miles north of Oakland, in a region informally known as the Emerald Triangle because it is the largest cannabis-producing region in the country. For the USPS to open your package they need to meet several criteria: 1.) Postal Inspection Service has federal law enforcement officers, Postal Inspectors, who enforce approximately 200 federal laws to achieve the agency's mission: protect the. The Institute for Justice is a 501(c)(3) organization; donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Here's what tracking will say if a package has been seized: If the package is on USPS, then there will be a tracking message that says the package has been seized by law enforcement. Copyright 2023, Thomson Reuters. The burden in Federal court is by a preponderance of the evidence (51 percent or more) meaning the judges should believe that the existence of a fact is more probable than its nonexistence. Postal Service or by a private carrier, such as UPS or FedEx.While the rules and regulations for what can be shipped are somewhat the same,it comes with some exceptions, like the private carriers like FedEx and UPS can ship ammunition, but it is not allowed by USPS. The head of the agency has appointed them on merit and abilities bases. He knew face masks were not illegal; in fact, at the time, they were required by law. Steps of the Law enforcement agencies if USPS tracking is seized. Specifically, of 265 evidence bags we reviewed, the weight of the drugs in five bags did not match the weights in the tracking system. Some or all of the recommendation is not publicly available due to concerns with information protected under the Freedom of Information Act. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. IJ stands for the idea that every child deserves a chance at a great education and that all parents, regardless of means, should enjoy the freedom to direct their childrens education. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The USISP must investigate these crimes and then take every possible step to cease these crimes. There is no requirement to make a statement. If you are having things sent in the mail that are illegal, USPS has to figure out it contains something in the first place. Another justification explained that the packages were taped or glued on all seams. But, again, secure packaging is not reasonable suspicion. If the contents of a box are prohibited from shipping, then they are likely to get seized (assuming they are noticed). What does USPS in possession of item mean? Doing so will most likely result in an investigation or arrest as it is illegal to ship drugs through any federal or private carriers. With other types of seizure, you might be criminally culpable, and thats a lot more complicated. As his business grew, he eventually opened a retail location in downtown Oakland. But, seizure can happen outside of customs too. It is a wise move to have an experienced defense attorney by your side so that you dont speak anything incriminating and later used against you by law enforcement. As a simple example, if you and a friend are both under investigation, then the authorities can seize just about anything you ship to each other, as long as they can justify the suspicion. | Will they arrest me? We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Whether the contents are banned or improperly labeled, there are a lot of ways a package will be seized at customs. They have to suspect the package contains contraband. Asset Forfeiture Attorney is a highly rated asset seizure and forfeiture defense law firm that serves clients in the state of California and nationwide. Our objective was to determine whether the U.S. Whether your case reaches a settlement or proceeds to trial may depend on the collected evidence and your decisions as a defendant. If there is probable cause to believe that a letter or package contains something that is in violation of federal law, then the Postal Inspectors can request a search warrant to open the piece of mail. IJs tax ID number is 52-1744337. My usps package has been seized by the authorities. Criminal Although there are security cameras by the container to deter and detect theft, they do not [redacted]. It is not marked as damaged (although the contents can be damaged by the seizure process). Packages that may face seizure during shipment using service provides like Fed/Ex, UPS, USPS by the law enforcement include: Cash and Currency. Based on available tracking data for 191 of them, postal inspectors did not use [redacted] suggested mailing methods for 188 packages. The forensic lab is utilized to check out the quality of the mail. If a package is leaking or stained, it may be flagged as mail. Can Police Read or Search Through Your Mail. The thing to understand is that not all packages that are seized represent criminal activity. If you or someone you know is in need of addiction treatment, please contact the National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 (1-800-662-HELP) In this case, authorities can seize package contents because they believe the contents are pertinent to an investigation or prosecution. You couldn't do better than attorney Jacek Lentz. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Postal Service could not guarantee next-day delivery at the time, he decided to use FedEx so his friend would get the money on Saturday, the following day. Following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, organizers hired Movement Ink to rapidly print as many face masks as possible to distribute to protestors marching across the country. The following is a list of the 4th. The private carriers, like UPS, FedEx, and DHL, are not federal government agencies and generally do not need a search warrant if they deem the package suspicious.The supreme court states that shipping packages through a third-party private carrier eliminate any reasonable expectation of privacy.

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