New Haven County resident Shawn R. Fuller, age 36, of Hamden, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and three counts of theft of mail by a postal employee, the US Attorney for Connecticut said. Fuller was released on a $100,000 bond, the prosecutor said.
Fuller, who worked at a post office in Meriden, was under investigation for stealing mail when investigators said they saw him open two packages on April 17, remove their contents, and place them in the trunk of his car. Then he left work for the day.
Hamden police pulled his car over soon after he left the post office. A police dog was brought in and alerted officers to the possible presence of drugs, investigators said.
A search of his trunk uncovered four kilograms — nearly nine pounds — of "a substance containing cocaine," the prosecutor said in a news release.
Distribution of cocaine carries a potential 20-year prison sentence, and theft of mail by a postal employee can bring 10 years per count, according to sentencing guidelines.
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