MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A Hyattsville woman was arrested and charged for stealing UPS packages while working as a UPS driver, the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) said Thursday.
Some of the items she allegedly stole were dropped off by customers at the Wheaton UPS Store. People noticed their items were going missing, so they contacted police.
“It’s terrible because just as normal people we put our trust into these carriers,” Timothy Kee said.
Last November, a customer put their trust in a carrier to safely deliver five gold coins from the Wheaton UPS Store, but three were missing when the package reached its destination. The coins were reported stolen.
“It’s just sad that people will come to this – where they’ll steal other people’s valuables,” Kee said.
In April, the victim told police that the coins were found at a Silver Spring coin shop. Through their investigation, MCPD determined UPS driver Adela Orellana was the suspect.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Tim Stewart said. “You see it a lot, not just in UPS, but a lot of different mail services.”
Orellana turned herself in back in June. She was charged with multiple counts of theft for stealing the items, and then selling them at local pawn shops.
“No matter where you go, what you do, there’s always going to be somebody trying to do something shady. So, the people that do these sorts of things, eventually, karma catches up to them, the law catches up to them,” Stewart said.
Some customers fear this will become a common trend as the holiday season approaches.
“People send a lot of packages,” David Mordehai said. “So the stealing is going to be much higher and more than the regular season.”
MCPD is encouraging anyone who may be a victim of package theft in Rockville or Wheaton to contact them at (240) 773-5476.
UPS’s community and public relations manager Casey Sorrell responded to the incident in a statement:
“The trust of all customers of The UPS Store brand is of the utmost importance, and we take any allegation of theft seriously. The store in Wheaton, Maryland is an independently owned and operated location. The owners of that location advised they terminated their employment of the accused person earlier this year and are cooperating with local law enforcement in the ongoing investigation.”
