A day in the life of a postal inspector

I wasn't aware of this, but before they can open a suspicious package, U.S. postal inspectors must have a reason to get a search warrant. Usually what they expect to find are illegal narcotics inside.

But agent David McKinney was not expecting to find drugs in the 10 pound 13 ounce package (which carried $63.55 in postage) sitting on his desk, because, according to a court affidavit filed April 15 in Virginia, “the package was moving.”

After determining that the return address was phony, he got permission from the court to open it.

Inside was a wire cage holding a sleepy little ferret, ferret food, ferret vitamins, and a box of Children’s Bendaryl, presumably meant to be used as a sedative by the unknown shipper. The package was addressed to someone in Puerto Rico.

Turns out that it is illegal to ship “non-mailable animals” through the postal service. (No, I don’t know what a mailable animal is either.) Everyone involved was glad it wasn’t a snake.

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Comments

[Dennis the Vizsla]

Poor ferret! That's even worse than flying coach.

[Dennis the Vizsla]

Then again, the ferret WAS given food. So maybe it was actually better than flying coach.

[MJ]

Poor ferret!

[pam]

A mailable animal? The mind boggles.

[SmartDogs]

Newly hatched domestic fowl (i.e. chicks, ducklings, guinea keets, baby tukeys) are mailable. Their yolk sacs keep them fed and hydrated and they're shipped in batches so shared body heat can keep them warm.

[Lynn Sinclair]

What is wrong with people? That poor ferret.