UPS employees stole guns out of packages at West Columbia facility, police allege
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department has arrested five UPS employees, alleging they stole guns from packages at the company’s West Columbia hub.
Byron Burke, 19, Jalen Green, 19, Dishon Kinney, 18, Kenyon Peters, 18, and Tre’von Williams, 19, have all been charged with breach of trust, with the value of the allegedly stolen weapons valued at more than $2,000 and less than $10,000.
Kinney and Peters also have been charged with criminal conspiracy, according to the sheriff’s department.
In a press release, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said UPS security staff alerted his department that guns were being stolen from incoming trucks.
“Once we started our investigation, detectives determined Kinney and Peters devised a plan to steal guns from incoming packages at the UPS hub,” Koon said in a statement.
Police say the five teenagers sold or gave away the guns “on company time.” They were arrested at work Thursday and were released Tuesday on bond.
UPS limits shipments of handguns to between, to and from licensed importers, manufacturers, dealers and collectors and government agencies. The packages also must be sent via Next Day Air services.
According to The Trace, government reports indicate that thousands of guns have gone missing during inter-state shipments over the past 20 years. The Department for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has reported that 1,500 guns are found every year at crime scenes that have been stolen in transit, according to CNN.
The ATF now requires dealers to disclose when firearms have been stolen in transit.
Correction: A previous version of this story stated the U.S. Postal Service does not ship handguns. Federal Firearms Licensee can do so, non-licensees cannot.
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 9:06 PM.
