Man Charged After Receiving Drugs in Mail

A Salem man is facing drug charges after police say he had a package containing five pounds of marijuana mailed to him.

Christopher Walker, 22, of Salem is charged with possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service notified Salem Police detectives on Wednesday morning that a suspicious package had arrived in Salem from California. The return address and sender on the package reportedly did not exist.

Officer Dan Nelson and a drug detection dog got a "hit" on the package, leading Salem detectives to seek and receive a search warrant for the residence the package was being delivered to.

At 2:42 p.m., Salem detectives and inspectors from the U.S. Postal Service delivered the package to 29 Lowell Road. Immediately after the delivery, police executed the search warrant. The woman who signed for the package said she signed it for her grandson. The package contained five pounds of marijuana, and while executing the search warrant, detectives found another pound of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a ledger and a small amount of cash.

Police located the grandson, later identified as Walker, down the street and took him into custody without incident. He was processed and released after posting $2,500 bail. Police said they had asked for higher bail and requested a source of funds hearing.