Don't touch packages that come from the jails

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Earlier today I started a discussion about some packages that have been accidentally shipped to my house. These packages originated from one of the jails in my state. I know someone that works in the correctional system so I called him this morning to make sure I'm handling this correctly or if I should do something differently. Well, I found out a LOT of stuff about this and thought it is my civic duty to let everyone know about this. I will preface this discussion with something that happened not far from my home over the summer. A local mayor's dogs were shot and killed during a raid by the sherriffs office. Here's the first story about it - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/30/AR2008073003299_pf.html In a nutshell, the Mayor came home from work, saw a package on his doorstep, brought it into the house (like you do with packages) and then the police raided the house and killed the dogs because they thought they were being threatenend. The package contained drugs. Although this package was addressed to his wife, they had no clue what was in it. So, a month or so after this, I have a package on my doorstep when I come home from work. I check to see who it's from - I wasn't expecting anything but sometimes my husband orders stuff. I noticed that it was from one of the jails in the state, then I noticed that it was addressed to my address but not to anyone in our house. I called UPS and told them to come pick it up, it would be right where they left it because I wasn't touching it (I didn't want MY dog killed!). They told me that it had been shipped to the correct address, but I told them it wasn't mine. After some questions we realized it was "re-addressed" to my house because the original address didn't exist and mine was the closest they could find. So, they picked it up and took it back the next day. Yesterday, I get home and there are 2 boxes waiting for me. Again, I wasn't expecting anything and when I checked the address, it was the jail again! I went through the whole process again and they are supposed to pick it up again today. Mostly out of curiousity, I called someone I know that works in the correctional system. I told him about it and he right away told me to never touch it, always just send it back, or call the police and let them deal with it. Apparently, this is how a lot of contraband gets into and out of the jails. He said that he has actually had to go to the warehouse where this package will now be taken and open the package and go through everything for drugs and cell phones and stuff. He was telling me how the inmate will pick a street, give it a fake house number, the post office or UPS will try to correct it and deliver it to the "right" person, putting the innocent bystander at risk here. Then the person that lives there will pick up the package and take it into the house - since that's what we do with packages - and if the package is being watched by the police, they arrest you (or shoot your dogs, we were kinda joking about that even though it really did happen). Then I got to thinking.... One of the boxes this morning had broken open during the night... Now, let's say the inmate has sent this package out to a bogus adddress and then he calls his buddy who's got his drugs for him. He tells his buddy to go to this street, watch for the package, put the drugs in, and when the homeowner calls and has it sent back to the prison he gets his stash! What if that happened to me??? My friend told me that the police might show up at my house and I could be under suspect of smuggling into the jail. I am so hoping that is not what happens!!! So, the moral of the story, make sure you know your package before you bring it into the house!!!!