Ok, so I've read it 1000 times. In the absolute worst case scenario, the post finds your package, they do a controlled delivery and attempt to get you to sign for the package. Does signing really make you liable for the contents? People have to sign for unexpected gift shipments all the time. It seems like it'd make it even easier to frame someone by sending them drugs requiring a signature and then tipping off the post/police. They'd sign because they probably don't see any reason not to, especially if they put the return address & name of someone that person is good friends with. Is signing really a death sentence?
Alternately, is it about what happens at the signing? I had to sign for a package once, and I just gave the postal worker a perplexed look and said "I wasn't expecting anything from Germany, I wonder what this is," and then I proceeded to sign it and opened it 3-4 days later. Might that post worker's testimony that I said that have any influence in the trial?
It seems to me that everyone thinks that signing for a controlled delivery is the natural point of failure, but I think using a dirty address and/or simple admission of guilt are both much more significant risks to getting convicted when a package is somehow intercepted & a controlled delivery or search warrant is carried out.
Does who signs for the package matter? Mother? Brother? Security Officer? Do they all have the same outcome, or is it only significant if you sign? If they sign are they liable?
A friend of mine is lucky enough to have a very present & productive security team manning the front desk of his apartment building 24/7, and they're responsible for handling packages, including signing them (below: why it'd be awesome have that security job). This got me thinking. They have a signature sheet where you're supposed to sign for each individual package to verify receipt. However, he said they haven't asked him to sign for anything in months. Additionally, he even gets the mailbox-sized packages that require signatures in his mailbox already signed for. Since pretty much all drug packs can fit into a mailbox, asking for a signature on any parcel, let alone one that contains drugs, would be raise an eyebrow.
Now, let's say he's ordering drugs via DNMs, shipped via the mail, to his residence, which has small amounts of drugs & paraphernalia (not smart or ideal I know). If one of his orders gets caught & the police do a controlled delivery, what would happen? When they see security at the front desk, do they say they need the resident's signature specifically for just 1 small package out of all of the 20+ packages being delivered? Let's assume they go that far, or they are just straightforward with the security officers and ask them to participate. Either way, something really out of the ordinary has to happen to get that signature. Either the security officer(s), with or without the presence of the postal worker disguised LEO, delivers the package and knocks (and/or maybe call) to ask for a signature. He'd never sign for a package that he suspects has drugs in it since it's the first time they've asked for a signature, let alone the way they came to him to ask for it. Alternatively, they could leave it and ask the security guards to get his signature. If they just wait and ask him to sign (again, for the first time in months) the next time he's in the lobby for a package he suspects has drugs in it, he'd never sign it. Also, there's no reliable way to know that the security officer (assuming they aren't put under surveillance) isn't going to help the resident avoid conviction instead of cooperate with the police. So ultimately, there's really no way to get a willing signature for a successful controlled delivery unless he ignores some really obvious warnings.
LE might just go straight for the search warrant on the residence & do it entirely as a surprise without controlled delivery or regular delivery. I guess that would be the main problem with using an apartment like that, but would they go straight to the search warrant? I get the feeling that they would try the controlled delivery anyways even though it's destined to fail. They'd probably expect it to have a decent success rate, because most people are dumb. There's also the chance that they decide to send a love letter instead. They'd know it's an apartment, but I think the norm among most apartments is to require a resident's signature, but maybe not. Maybe they just don't do controlled deliveries on apartments for random seizures at all because of these unknown variables. However, they may still attempt the controlled delivery (which would give us a warning of an upcoming warrant, assuming they don't get a warrant before doing a controlled delivery) or go straight to a search warrant on the residence if the apartment policies are known, its already under investigation, or because too many packages have been intercepted there. Now let's say it's a package with tracking. If you lived in an apartment with this system for receiving parcels, would you view a major delay on tracking as warning signal to clean up the destination address in anticipation? I assume you'd ideally try to get tracking on everything for this reason and also because signatures are never a problem, you should have no reservations about asking for tracking (besides maybe price, or vendor policy), and just have a good quick clean-up strategy just in case. This is another advantage to having everything signed for by the guards, which gives you an unreliable, unproven way of detecting when something has gone wrong/been caught, but it's better than nothing.
So all-in-all, if you were using this somewhat unclean residence, would you prefer having security sign for you, or would you rather just sign for your own package?
Would you see the essential immunity to controlled deliveries as an overall benefit, or would the potentially increased possibility of them going straight to a search warrant be enough for a traditional apartment (where a controlled delivery might not be totally obvious) to be the better option?
More importantly:
When they do a controlled delivery, do they usually have a search warrant ready-to-go beforehand, or does that usually come later? And how much later?
If when they do a controlled delivery, they always have a search warrant, a failed/impossible controlled delivery wouldn't help you if your residence is dirty unless it gave you time to clean up the residence, which I assume they'd want to avoid. On the other hand, if your residence is clean and you can avoid ever signing for a controlled delivery, it'd basically be the perfect system. Rather than relying on property that in no way belongs to you (which is often the most well-respected solution), you're taking advantage of mail handling policies to ensure every delivery arrives safely, and those that are compromised are easily identified and rejected. The only downside is that it requires you to use your own real name, but as long as you're not hiding a noteworthy criminal history or running a large criminal enterprise, that shouldn't be a problem really.
As an aside, being one of those security officers, or working a similar position would be a fantastic way of receiving drugs safely. In addition to securing the apartments, which includes knowing all tenants by name & apartment number, and therefore knowing what apartments are vacant. Since you take care of the packages, you can address it to a real person (maybe someone you don't like, but are sure their apartment is clean of drugs) who lives there and intercept it, or you can send it to a vacant apartment under the name of the previous tenant. The latter places a little more suspicion on the guard, but still not all that much. It's Probably still not enough to cause any real suspicion, especially if there are no obvious candidates among the security staff, because more than likely they wont all be in on it. I think the only way they'd suspect security is if multiple packages of similar origin/appearance/contents were confiscated and no good suspects were found after controlled deliveries & warrants. Worst case scenario, you have to help them investigate someone that you've responsibly already cleared as innocent and cause them some temporary grief.
Also, another potential strategy that is independent of mail handling policies:
almost all apartments have PO box style mailboxes. I've heard that getting the master key for these isn't all that difficult. Assuming you could get a reliable list of residents/past residents and maintained the ability to easily open any of the vacant apartments (which are regularly filling with weekly fliers for local businesses, so a small package/letter would easily go unnoticed), is this a decent way of using an address other than your residence? If so, has anyone done or, or can anyone comment on how easy it is to get the PO keys?
Lay off the drugs, son.