Royal Mail worker is jailed for nearly seven years after making £1.2m from stealing cannabis-filled parcels
Amjad Ali, a 50-year-old Royal Mail worker, has been jailed for six years and nine months after admitting to intercepting cannabis-filled parcels at a logistics centre in Slough and redirecting them to himself for onward sale. He exploited his position by identifying suspect parcels before they went through X-ray screening, relabelling them and arranging deliveries to other addresses, including his own home, over roughly a year between 2024 and 2025. The case highlights vulnerabilities in mail-screening processes and the scale of profit that can be made by insiders abusing trusted positions within postal networks.
Thames Valley Police's Berkshire East Disruption Team uncovered the scheme on 12 December last year, searching Ali's home, vehicle and a storage facility. They found £1,185,420 in cash hidden in a storage locker and a further £42,290 at his home, taking the total to more than £1.2million, believed to be proceeds from cannabis sales and understood to be the force's largest-ever cash seizure. Ali pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug, theft of parcels, possessing criminal property and possessing an offensive weapon in a private place, and was sentenced at Reading Crown Court. Royal Mail said it takes criminal activity within its network "extremely seriously" and works closely with law enforcement.
- Royal Mail worker jailed 6 years 9 months over cannabis parcel theft
- Police seized over £1.2m in cash, a force record
- Amjad Ali pleaded guilty to drug supply and theft charges
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Amjad Ali, a 50-year-old Royal Mail employee, worked at a logistics centre in Slough where post is sorted before delivery. Over about a year, he is said to have used his position to spot parcels containing cannabis before they went through security screening, then relabelled them and had them sent to himself or other addresses instead of their intended recipients, later selling the contents on.
The case came to light after Thames Valley Police investigated and searched his home, car and a storage unit, where they say they found more than £1.2million in cash, understood to be the largest cash seizure the force has made. Ali admitted several offences, including being involved in supplying a Class B drug, theft and possessing criminal property, and has now been sentenced at Reading Crown Court.
The story matters because it raises questions about how secure the postal system is against insider abuse, given the trust placed in staff who handle millions of parcels. Royal Mail, the UK's main postal service, has said it treats criminal activity within its network seriously and works with police on such cases.