FedEx employee arrested on suspicion of stealing package containing 10 guns

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·2 min read
A FedEx employee in Victorville was arrested at his Hesperia home on suspicion of stealing a package containing several handguns, sheriff's officials said.
A FedEx employee in Victorville was arrested at his Hesperia home on suspicion of stealing a package containing several handguns, sheriff's officials said.

A FedEx employee who worked in Victorville was arrested Thursday on suspicion of stealing a package containing 10 handguns, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials reported.

Alex Steven Palacios, 30, of Hesperia, remained at the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto on Friday, with bail set at $50,000, sheriff’s booking records showed.

Palacios is scheduled to appear in Victorville Superior Court on Tuesday, according to sheriff’s officials.

The Victorville Sheriff’s Station said that on Thursday, a deputy responded to an embezzlement report at the FedEx office on Industrial Boulevard.

Deputies were told that an employee had embezzled a package containing 10 handguns, which were documented with serial numbers and a FedEx tracking number, sheriff’s officials said.

Through investigation, a deputy learned the employee, later identified as Palacios, loaded the package onto his work vehicle, but did not deliver the package to its destination, authorities said.

A search warrant was served at Palacios’ residence in the 16200 block of Orange Street in Hesperia, the sheriff's department said. Upon arrival, deputies found a revolver with a scratched-off serial number and multiple high-capacity magazines. They are continuing their search for the remaining firearms.

Palacios was arrested and booked on suspicion of embezzlement, and the grand theft and altering of a firearm.

FedEx rules on shipping firearms

Only those with a federal firearms license (FFL) and federal, state, or local government agencies may ship firearms with FedEx, according to the company.

Customers holding an FFL must enter into an approved FedEx Firearms Shipping Compliance Agreement before shipping any firearms with them.

Authorities did not say who sent the box that Palacios is suspected of stealing.

Last year, FedEx employee Anthony Parker, 55, of Troy, New York, was arrested after he removed a package containing a gun from a conveyor belt inside a company distribution center, according to the Department of Justice.

Parker later hid the pistol and magazines at his residence. He had a prior conviction for second-degree murder.

Parker was sentenced to 51 months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Anyone with information about the ongoing investigation in Victorville is asked by the Sheriff's Department to contact the Victorville Sheriff’s Station at 760-241-2911 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-956-5001.

Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: FedEx employee Alex Palacios arrested on suspicion of stealing 10 guns