The USPS Office of Inspector General determined the Postal Service needs to improve its processes for handling prohibited inbound international mailings. The OIG determined the Postal Service returned at least 54,126 prohibited packages to international senders between FY 2014 and FY 2016. The OIG also discovered the Postal Service is storing about 25 bulk mail containers of prescription drugs at an unnamed ISC because of disagreements with the FDA about how to handle the packages. FDA staff told the Postal Service that the packages contained prescription drugs that appear to violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Read the Full Report (PDF)


The Postal Service returned at least 54,126 prohibited packages to international senders between FY 2014 and FY 2016. A significant portion of the prohibited items returned were cigarettes, according to Postal Service and CBP officials.