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Drugs, stolen mail found in car with duo
Police say Raphel Drane was headed down Cherokee Street at night with no lights, signaling police to run his tags. When they found out he was driving without insurance, they say they pulled him over and found so much more.
KENNESAW, Ga. - Drugs, guns and stolen mail – that's what Kennesaw Police say they found during a traffic stop last week.
Police say inside the car, they found two firearms, oxycodone pills and a bag full of mail, plus additional envelopes scattered throughout the car.
"Some of the mail had P.O. boxes, some had commercial addresses, some had residential addresses," said Kennesaw Police Officer David Buchanan.
Along with the cards and letters, there were ID cards for various people, IRS checks and stacks of credit cards, debit cards and gift cards, according to the incident report.
Now, investigators are working with other police agencies across metro Atlanta to find out where and when the mail was stolen.
"[We're] Reaching out to other agencies to see if the crime occurred in their jurisdiction or [was] reported there to try to link them together and try to get a full understanding of where this mail was stolen from and how it was stolen," said Officer Buchanan.
Raphel Drane and Kaitlin Simpson (Cobb County Sheriff's Office)
Police arrested the driver, Raphel Drane, and his passenger, Kaitlin Simpson. They are charged with Theft by Possession of Stolen Mail as well as charges related to the guns and drugs.
Police say Drane has had other run-ins with the law and say this wasn't the first time he was found with a slew of mail that didn't belong to him.
"There was a possession of stolen mail charge on his criminal history," said Buchanan.
Police say rather than sending checks or gift cards through the mail, pay electronically when possible and send an e-card instead of a gift card.