Cops: Malvernite Receives 14 Pounds of Pot in Mail

One Malverne resident received a surprise in the mail last month - 14 pounds of marijuana, according to local police.

Malverne Police Chief John Aresta said the unexpected delivery was addressed to a home in the village, but contained a fictitious name.

When the homeowner opened it up, "low and behold, there were 14 pounds of marijuana wrapped up inside," Aresta said at the March 2 village board meeting.

"The resident wasn't sure what to do," he said, but "eventually contacted the Malverne Police Department."

The police investigated the situation and found that cases like this have become widespread. 

"This is the new way of delivering marijuana," Aresta said. "It appears to be that they are buying medical marijuana out of San Francisco for a low price and having it shipped here to resell at a high price."

A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service says the agency has stepped up its efforts in recent years to crack down on the mailing of illegal narcotics. Recent reports say that since 2007, seizures of marijuana by the postal police have increased four-fold.

Aresta explained that the drug smugglers will pick an address at random from the phone book and have the weed sent there. Then, they'll track the delivery and when they expect it to arrive, wait down the block for the postal truck to drop off the package. Once the employee has left, they'll swoop in and  pick up the package - unless, the homeowner beats them to it.

"Fortunately, [this time] it was interrupted," said Aresta, but he's learned that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has encountered many cases like this. The Malverne Police is continuing to work with the postal inspectors and Nassau County cops to investigate the case.

Aresta added, "Anytime you get a delivery you're not expecting, please call us."