Some Uber drivers are worried they're being used as 'drug mules,' report says

One Uber driver said he was given a bag he assumed contained drugs and took it to the police.

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

• Some Uber drivers are concerned they may be unknowingly delivering drugs.
• Uber Connect drivers have raised concerns about drugs potentially being transported via the service.
• Six drivers told NBC News they were concerned they were being used as "drug mules."

Some Uber drivers are reportedly worried they are unknowingly delivering drugs via Uber Connect, the company's courier service.

Six drivers from the US and Australia told NBC News they were concerned that customers were using them as "drug mules." 

One driver told NBC News he took a package to a police station after he was given an almost empty plastic bag.

"All I could see inside was one little baggy that had two crystallized forms in there," the driver told the outlet. "Immediately, I assumed it was some kind of narcotic." 

The driver took the suspicious package to the police, according to NBC News, but said he was nervous as the customer could track him on the Uber app. 

"I had my head on a swivel, because this person can see that I've diverted from the route, and if they know the area — which isn't very far from their house — they can see I'm sitting outside the substation," he said. 

Uber prohibits customers from using the service to deliver illegal items, alcohol, medication, or recreational drugs, per a company website. However, parcels are also required to be securely sealed and drivers are forbidden from opening or looking inside packages. 

Representatives for Uber did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours.

In a statement to NBC News, an Uber spokesperson said: "When we receive this type of report, our global safety team investigates and may take actions ranging from deactivating the relevant account to reporting the issue to law enforcement." 

"The misuse of shipping and transportation platforms to deliver illicit drugs is an industry-wide issue, and we will continue partnering with law enforcement to address it," the spokesperson added. 

Uber has faced scrutiny over safety concerns since its launch. These include accusations of sexual assault from both drivers and, more recently, 550 female passengers. 

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