Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Mail carrier who trafficked drugs is serving prison time
The Ohio employee passed packages containing cocaine and heroin to an accomplice
A Toledo, OH, mail carrier lost his job and is now serving a two-year prison sentence for helping move illegal narcotics through the mail.
At the outset of this case, postal inspectors began tracking packages containing drugs as they moved through the mailstream. The packages were addressed to locations along one specific carrier’s route, but they never reached their intended recipients.
The Postal Inspection Service investigates drugs being trafficked through the mail, but if there’s suspicion that a USPS employee may be involved, then special agents from the organization’s Office of Inspector General, or OIG, get involved.
Special agents and postal inspectors teamed with Drug Enforcement Administration agents to execute a search warrant on one of the suspicious packages. Concealed among children’s toys and school supplies were two pounds of cocaine and one pound of heroin laced with fentanyl.
Through surveillance, the investigators learned that an accomplice would coordinate meeting spots along the carrier’s route, where the packages were exchanged for cash. The pair tried to hide their activities by using fake identities and changing their meeting locations, but the investigators arrested them during a planned exchange.
The carrier was suspended and subsequently terminated from the Postal Service. At trial, he was sentenced to two years in prison; the accomplice received more than 10 years. Both are subject to supervised release with special conditions for mental health treatment and substance abuse support.
The OIG recently highlighted this case on its website.
If you suspect or know of narcotics trafficking involving USPS employees or contractors, report it to the OIG.
On the Job
He helps USPS hire employees
This developer keeps the Postal Service’s Workforce website doing its job
My name is Matthew McEachern and I’m a senior workforce systems developer in Salt Lake City.
I am part of a 10-person team that builds websites and application programming interfaces, also known as APIs, for USPS human resources systems. We run the workforce.usps.gov website and help craft employees transition to executive and administrative scheduled positions.
It can be challenging to find technical jobs in the Postal Service, so we try to make those positions as visible as possible.
We’re nimble and make adjustments to our website within days instead of weeks or months. We develop all aspects of our web environment from raw data collection through API endpoints to front-end client web pages. We also stay on top of industry trends, including up-to-date coding techniques and AI assistance.
It can be hard to recruit developers because the private sector pays well, but we’re a competitive employer. We take pride in developing coders within the organization who understand postal concepts and data, as well as having experience and knowledge of modern web development.
I contribute to the Postal Service’s broader mission by helping to fill the organization’s staffing needs. The website my team manages is based around predictive hiring and analytics, offering reports, dashboards and applications that speed up the hiring process.
I help track the steps of the hiring process from the job application to onboarding to make sure every department is staffed the way they’re supposed to be and that they have the tools they need to hire qualified candidates. I work with the USPS Human Resources Shared Services Center to develop applications to make some of the physical work of processing employment forms easier.
I have worked for USPS for 20 years. I’m challenged every day in a good way — nothing that I do stays routine. Every project is different and helps me grow as a developer.
When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with family. My wife is a kindergarten teacher — something I could never do. We have two kids in high school. I also play the piano, tennis and golf in my downtime.
The Postal Service has been a great place to have a career. All the managers I have had always helped me and provided for opportunities, even if it meant leaving their group to do something else.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
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Reader hopes bald eagle stamps ignite interest in national bird
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June 9, 2026
Datebook
American Icons stamps ceremony
The Postal Service will dedicate its American Icons stamps on Tuesday, June 9, in New York City.
The event will be held at 11 a.m. Eastern at the James A. Farley Post Office at 421 Eighth Ave.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVP online.
June 9, 2026
Datebook
‘Everyday Mindfulness’
Postal Service employees can participate in an upcoming webinar focusing on incorporating mindfulness into their everyday routine.
“Everyday Mindfulness” will be held on Tuesday, June 9, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from United Healthcare, a provider of health insurance plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participation is voluntary, but participants must register before the event. Nonexempt employees must participate off the clock or during authorized breaks.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team.
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Mail carrier who trafficked drugs is serving prison time
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On the Job
He helps USPS hire employees
This developer keeps the Postal Service’s Workforce website doing its job
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Mail
Featured reader quote
“I am excited about the new Bald Eagle: From Hatchling to Adult stamps and have already ordered mine! I follow a YouTube channel on the eagles of Big Bear Valley, CA, and have...”
— Jodi Heckmann, Williston, FL
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June9Datebook
American Icons stamps ceremony
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June9Datebook
‘Everyday Mindfulness’