(Associated Press) Sixteen postal workers in Atlanta and the surrounding area accepted bribes to deliver packages of cocaine, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
In exchange for bribery payments, the postal workers provided special addresses on their routes where the drugs could be shipped and then intercepted the packages and delivered them to a person they believed was a drug trafficker using the postal system to ship multiple kilograms of cocaine at a time into the area, U.S. Attorney John Horn said.
But it was actually a sting operation: The supposed drug trafficker was working with law enforcement and the packages contained fake drugs.
“Postal employees are entrusted with a vital function in our communities. They often are visiting people’s homes and having personal interaction with our citizens,” Horn said. “The defendants in this case allegedly breached that critical trust by accepting work from somebody that they believed to be a drug