An Uber Connect driver who feared he was being used as a drug mule, drove a suspicious package directly to a police station.
The driver said the customer was tracking him via the Uber app.
“I had my head on a swivel, because this person can see that I’ve diverted from the route, and if they know the area — which isn’t very far from their house — they can see I’m sitting outside the substation,” he told NBC News.
Uber Connect offers on-demand package delivery for their customers’ convenience. But drug traffickers also find the courier service convenient to deliver drugs to their customers who place weed orders at night.
Uber Connect drivers have raised concern that they are being used as “drug mules” by drug dealers.
In an interview with NBC News, six drivers said they were concerned they were being used to transport drugs to “sketchy” parts of town in the middle of the night.
One driver told NBC News he took a package to a police station after he was given an almost empty plastic bag.
“All I could see inside was one little baggy that had two crystallized forms in there,” the driver told the outlet. “Immediately, I assumed it was some kind of narcotic.”
Uber policy prohibits drivers from transporting illegal drugs, alcohol, medication, or hazardous materials.
But drivers say they don’t know what they’re delivering – and they worry they may be pulled over by cops.
The packages are required to be securely sealed and drivers are forbidden from opening or looking inside packages, according to Uber’s website.
In a statement to NBC News, an Uber spokesperson said: “When we receive this type of report, our global safety team investigates and may take actions ranging from deactivating the relevant account to reporting the issue to law enforcement.”
“The misuse of shipping and transportation platforms to deliver illicit drugs is an industry-wide issue, and we will continue partnering with law enforcement to address it,” the spokesperson added.
