Urgent help needed - drugs posted to my house

[Sparklysunshine]

I’ll keep it brief - package came , my address , random name not related to anyone in my house (I’m in U.K. ) had old postage label on back for an address in Canada - the surname was “postage” ..this looked to be from a previous package , basically the packaging was being re used . My address was on a declaration label stating it contained a hat . I opened package as no one in my house claimed it , an old hat , 2 odd socks and inside one of the socks a substantial amount of white powder in a bag ! Postage label says October 6th . It was on my doorstep yesterday . I want to go to the police but I’m worried someone’s going to turn up at my house looking for this . How would it end up at my house - is there such thing as a scam where it’s used my house as an address For some reason ? I just want to know why it’s here , why my address ? I am a childcare provider and have a house full of children ! Thank you for advice

@Sparklysunshine I found a black cloth bag on the pavement a few years ago, Picked it up and it was obviously 'Drugs'- some sort of E or stimulant.

It was a Saturday, and police were out and about due to a football match.

I handed the pills to them.

They took my address, but I never heard any more about it.

Definitely call police.

Dial 999 and tell them that you're beside yourself with worry. Then it's up to them.

Do exactly what they tell you to do and put it into an old pillow case, which you don't care to see again. The one you wash your trainers in. You'll be fine.

I found a money bag of white powder in my garden when I lived in N London. I took it to the local station and gave it to the front desk. Nothing ever happened afterwards.

Edit...pic of pills as found..

Just call the police. It’s the first thing you’d do if someone turned up at your house, so forewarned is forewarned anyway.

It's probably some kind of stuff to prevent damp still for sure take to police ? Have you smelt it ?

Don't go ''smelling it'' of it's a noxious compound.

They won’t do that

I think you should lick it*

*not really. Call the police ffs. You’d be beyond daft to do anything other than this?!

Maybe let's not encourage folk to start sniffing unknown substances that have been posted through their door.

I opened package as no one in my house claimed it

I'm not suprised, if someone was ordering drug online. Any 'young adults' living with you OP? 🤐

I’d be asking everyone in your home if they know where it comes from, as the police will definitely ask them too.

How much is there?

Can you post a photo?

Photo, or it didn't happen 🤔

Yes
We had this when we lived in North London.
Our address was being used to send info on ‘what to say and do in order to claim asylum.’ Basically advisory leaflets on how to lie.

We didn’t live there at the time and our neighbours on two occasions phoned us to tell us we were being Brocken into. They never actually got in. If they had they would have found cctv and no envelopes as we gave them to the police.

Two suspects were caught ( from external cameras at our property ) and deported.
Usually it’s empty houses targeted, in your case they may have simply got the wrong door number on the address.
Our was posted to named people that did not live in our house, the police thought they’d just got the wrong address.

Give everything to the police.
If anyone you don’t know turns up don’t answer the door.
Buy a ring doorbell.

I found a big bag of mandy in the pub once in my youth. I did not hand it in to the police. I had a banger of a house party.

That happened to me last year. Phoned 101 and they came and collected the package. Probably a typo on the house number, as the PC said she thought she knew who the intended recipient was - in our street. So that was funny. Glad I phoned police though, as I was initially shaken up about the idea of someone using the address deliberately and then coming to ask for their package

Just drop it at the police station. I once lived in a house that was a drug dealers. The house had been thoroughly cleaned but I still found a bag of white powder behind the radiator and needle tips in the windows. Police really weren't that bothered, just asked me to drop drugs at the station. I didn't stay there long, occasionally people did bang on the door but I just ignored them.

From the photo, it looks like MDMA (ecstasy).

Edit - oh sorry, the photo is not from the op. But anyway, those were ecstasy.

Bloody hell some people have been watching too many films 😂

The police really won’t be interested, they will probably stop by at some point to collect or ask you to drop them into the station.

I doubt anyone will be round to collect them but if anyone does just deny all knowledge - like someone else said, nobody knows this has been received by you or the household. This is why drugs are sent so often through the post as it’s almost always untraceable.

If you are a childcare provider is this not a safeguarding issue?
Police definitely

Not everyone has had unremittingly positive experiences of the police (some of you may have heard about this on the news or read about it in the newspaper, perhaps?). So depending on their experience, I could fully see why some people urge caution with reporting this.

OP, I presume you feel pretty confident this is not connected to any of your household, or any partners of anyone in your household, etc? That would be first thing to look into.

Then I would have a think about whether, realistically, there is anyone in your household who might be of a demographic/background that they might be likely to be the subject of suspicion by the police. (This would be the reason I wouldn't report it and it's to do with ethnicity of a member of my household and not trusting the police to be impartial - tho I know many police are great and my best friend is a copper, sadly they aren't all).

Then I would actually put it aside somewhere very safe, and I'd someone turned up for it I might well hand it over, as this would be preferable to me to me and my family potentially being persecuted by the people who want their package back. I know this won't be a popular course of action to suggest on Mumsnet, which is a very law abiding place, but I am just being honest.

(I obviously then realised you meant for future visitors, but can't seem to edit!)

This isn't the 'modus operandi' for major drug dealers. It's usually more from one friend to another friend. Someone who has a 'friend' with drugs to offer sort of looks around near where they live for homes where it appears that no one is home during the day and there are no doorbell cams. Drugs or other contraband are 'directed' to that address with a plan that this person will hang around 'discreetly' and retrieve the package as soon as it's put on the porch, hopefully before the homeowners get home. The recipient isn't going to show up banging at your door over that small amount.

By all means, notify the police. Chances are the drugs are untraceable, but you never know. But FGS quit handling whatever that is. One should NEVER handle any unknown substance sent by an unknown sender.

PS. I'm in the US. This was much more common before Ring Doorbells and CCTV. You don't hear about it much now.

For goodness sake.

You can absorb fentanyl via the skin- a friend had it prescribed in transdermal patches for a spinal issue.

Police have occasionally OD'd by handling it in USA and needed naloxone to reverse it.

As others have said it is probably a typo in the address if it is not someone who lives with you. Ordering drugs online is relatively easy.

It's probably a neighbour who will assume it has been intercepted at the post office. If they check the address they sent it to when they contact the seller they will probably realise it went to your house and either ask if you had any parcels arrive in their name in the vain hope you didn't open it or just re-order.

I really wouldn't worry about it. Either bin it, keep it in case the neighbour does come looking, or call 101 and ask someone to come and collect it.