Mailbox thieves are nothing new, but thieves in northern New Mexico upped the ante. They raided the local post office, and the heist definitely has the feds’ attention.
“This shouldn’t happen,” said Eppie Joe Vigil of Alcalde. “It just shouldn’t happen here.”
It’s a federal building with no cameras and no nearby businesses.
“It’s supposed to be a safe place,” said Joe Trujillo of Alcalde. “Without no cameras, I feel like, is our mail really safe now?”
The Alcalde Post Office, off Highway 68 just north of Espanola, was hit by thieves last Wednesday. U.S. postal investigators said the crime occurred early in the morning.
Officials said there was damage to the building, and that the crooks may have even used a car to break in.
One man who lives nearby said his neighborhood watch put out information about the crime, hoping to help crack the case.
“What I heard is that they had broken in and they got a safe,” Vigil said.
Others are claiming they had mail stolen. One family said they lost hundreds of dollars spent on their daughter’s senior pictures.
“When I opened it, I noticed it was gone. I was like, what’s going on? So, I went to the girl up front,” said Melissa Trujillo, who had her senior pictures stolen. “She told me and I was just devastated. I called my mom crying.”
The Trujillos said the postmaster told them they weren’t the only ones to have their P.O. box looted. U.S. postal inspectors are now investigating. The community hopes someone comes forward with information.
“We just want to find these guys, you know?” Joe Trujillo said. “They’ve got to know that they hurt a family and probably more families out there and they need to get caught.”
The postal service says mail delivery will not be impacted. They are offering up to a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The thieves could face up to five years in prison.
