Two United States Postal Service employees have been arrested in upstate New York after a police investigation revealed they used the post office as a hub for drug trafficking.
The United States Attorney’s Office in Western New York announced on Wednesday Ralph Minni, 52, and his girlfriend Grace Marie Lopez, 30, were arrested and charged in separate criminal complaints with using the Greece City Post Office to receive cocaine and marijuana over the past four years.
Minni was a post office manager and Lopez works for the post office at the main facility on Jefferson Road in Rochester. Both are accused of using their charges to obtain cocaine and marijuana through the mail and then redistributing the narcotics in the Rochester area.
They are accused of conspiring and distributing marijuana, in addition to possession of 500 grams or more of cocaine. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years and a $5,000,000 fine.
Federal investigators first learned of possible drug trafficking by Minni in 2018. An informant reportedly made eight marijuana purchases from Lopez and bought weapons from Minni twice while recording conversations, including discussions about how drug packages arrive. through the post office from California.
The investigation indicates that Minni was observed taking packages off the floor of the post office to take to his private office. Surveillance video also showed Minni taking cocaine from his desk or his pocket to give to another employee to snort.
Prosecutors said a search warrant executed on Minni’s home, office and car uncovered $75,000 worth of narcotics, including THC, marijuana and cocaine, 40 firearms, more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition and a bulletproof vest.
The years-long investigation included the participation of the FBI, the United States Postal Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service with additional assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Police Department of Greece and the New York State Police.
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