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Reged: 12/25/03
Posts: 162
Loc: Capital of the Republic of Tex...
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Does anyone have experience having meds sent to them from IOPs to an APO address?
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BamaChica
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Reged: 05/28/04
Posts: 696
Loc: Resident Bad Girl....
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Ive always thought they wouldnt deliver there? it would be best to get a box at the UPS store or have it delivered there for a 1 time fee of $5 and pick it up...all companies deliver there too.
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radiometer
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Reged: 12/10/03
Posts: 520
Loc: California
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Quote:
having meds sent to them from IOPs to an APO address
Without knowing much about it, I'd consider that a Very Bad Idea. APOs are for the military, no? Surely packages sent to one will get more scrutiny than at a normal post office.
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Loc: Capital of the Republic of Tex...
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I called up the USPS and got some insight on this. Incidently, the APO I'm talking about happens to be in the Middle East.
APOs are only useful if something is posted inside the US or from an APO/FPO address. If posted from within the US and the envelope is under 16 ounces, it's handled just like regular mail send from within the US to within the US. If it's a parcel or something that weighs 16 ounces or more, it's got to have a customs declaration and be given by hand to a postal clerk.
If someone is posting from outside the US (and not from an APO/FPO), then they include the country and city along with the APO address. The mail goes through customs of the country it's being sent to and is delivered by that country's postal service to the APO address.
It looks like if I want to get something from an IOP and have it shipped to my APO, it needs to go to my UPS Store, which has for years consolidated mail and sent it to me via USPS or courier. If under 16 ounces, it's go as regular mail. If over 16 ounces, it'll have a customs declaration of "letters" or something like that.
Will the mail/packages get more scrutiny? I'm told they'll be looking for things like letter bombs and anthrax if it's under 16 ounces.
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Reged: 12/25/03
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Loc: Capital of the Republic of Tex...
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Quote:
Quote:
having meds sent to them from IOPs to an APO address
Without knowing much about it, I'd consider that a Very Bad Idea. APOs are for the military, no? Surely packages sent to one will get more scrutiny than at a normal post office.
Military, US government personnel, government or DOD contractors and US government office abroad.
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dolphinsrule
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Reged: 09/18/03
Posts: 213
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As a former Postal employee. APO is for Military employees and I would think they would get more srutiny as well. I would think that Bama has the right idea about getting a temp box at UPS or something.
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Quote:
As a former Postal employee. APO is for Military employees and I would think they would get more srutiny as well. I would think that Bama has the right idea about getting a temp box at UPS or something.
I'm being sent to the Middle East as a government contractor. My choices are having the stuff go through customs in the host country or going to UPS store in the US then consolidated with other mail and mailed to the APO. Of the two methods, which do you think would be more lenient?
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TexasBear
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Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 182
Loc: A Beautiful Tidewater Beach
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APO="Army Post Office"
MP="Military Police, which has an active CID, or "Criminal Investigation Division".
These 3 alphabet soups tend to work together all the time to intercept contraband of all kinds.
In the military, at least technically, it is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (art. 134) to take any medication, substance or other mood or mind altering substance that is not available in the normal course of military life to all members of a command for legitimate social purposes (ie, caffeine, booze and cigarettes).
It is a crime against the UCMJ to take any medication that a military or billeted public health physician or appropriate enlisted personnel (Corpsman or Pharmacist's Mate, etc) with the authority to act under a physicians orders has not directly and specifically ordered a member to take. A member of the military, at least in theory, cannot take anything without being oredered to and cannot refuse to take anything that they are ordered to (think about the anthrax vaccinations and the Army members who refused to take them last year). If a package of narcotic pain medication showed up at an APO or FPO then the sender, recipient and anyone else they found to be connected to that package, however legitimate it might seem to order to civilians, would be investigated and probably arrested for drug trafficking on a military post (which carries a possible life sentence).
It would definietely be a crime to receive it for the simple reason that no one in the appropriate chain of command ordered you to take it.
In short, DON'T SEND IT TO AN ARMY OR FLEET POST OFFICE! They will come get you for that, all paranoia aside. Civilian rights do not exist in the military, and they would deal with that situation fairly summarily. Just my opinion, but having been in the military, I can't see sending anything to an APO or FPO being ever remotely tolerated by the military authorities.
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"In the essentials unity, the non-essentials diversity, and in all things, love......." Rev. John Wesley
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JethroBodine
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Reged: 06/20/03
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Loc: Ozark Mountains
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slightly off subject, and a slight correction to TexasBear. 20 years ago, and probably still today, a military member can get civilian medical treatment, including drugs, IF they are on leave, or otherwise not able to seek help through the normal channels. They must report all such treatment and surrender all such drugs upon returning to base.
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"This may not be the end of the world
but you can see it from here." The
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You're all assuming I'm in the military. I am not. Or that I work for the government. I do not. Also, you're assuming the APO is on a military base. It is not.
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I have a pretty good rapport with my mailman so I asked him about the perils of sending things to APOs. He says things like booze are regularly sent overseas, using a UPS Store and telling them it's cologne.
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TTFREE
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Reged: 11/29/04
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Loc: MD USA
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when I was in the Navy I used a PO box . why risk it .
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Quote:
when I was in the Navy I used a PO box . why risk it .
Because I'm going, as a civilian to work in the Middle East. I have a choice of mail sent directly to me in that country, thereby going through that country's customs, or using an APO attached to the embassy. Getting a PO box in the foreign country will still make things go through the host country's Customs. I saw what happened to a Playboy a wife sent her husband in that country when it went through Customs. It went from 150 pages down to 3 or 4 pages hacked to shreds. Then I saw what happened when it went through the APO. Nothing.
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JethroBodine
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Reged: 06/20/03
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Loc: Ozark Mountains
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I am pretty sure of one thing. They aren't going to check out the addressee to determine his status before deciding how thoroughly to inspect the package. I suspect all mail gets the same treatment. Bust 'em all and let the judge sort 'em out!
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"This may not be the end of the world
but you can see it from here." The
artist formerly known as Johnny Cougar.
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