May 14--Two U.S. Postal Service employees who work at O'Hare International Airport were arrested Wednesday on charges of stealing marijuana and other illegal narcotics from mail parcels, federal authorities allege.
Zaphronsia Wheeler and Aramis Brown, both mail handlers, pilfered some but not all of the drugs from at least 16 packages since April 7, according to the complaint filed in federal court in Chicago.
The scam was discovered in part after investigators noticed that the weight on the shipping label exceeded the weight of the drugs still left inside. Tape on the exterior of boxes appeared to have been cut to open the parcels, according to the complaint.
Authorities began investigating thefts from packages at O'Hare in January.
Brown, 29, and Wheeler, 39, both of Chicago, appeared Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Michael T. Mason in U.S. District Court and were released on bond.
asweeney@tribpub.com
