PUNTA GORDA, FL. - Charlotte County Sheriff's Narcotics detectives have arrested a UPS employee for stealing prescription drug shipments.

UPS security notified the sheriff's offcie that 26-year-old Joshua Lee Jansen of Deep Creek was rerouting medication packages from MEDCO, of Columbus, Ohio, after they were received at the Punta Gorda UPS warehouse.

Jansen would take incoming MEDCO drug packages; put them in another shipping envelope, use his own UPS account number, and address it to himself.

UPS Security said this happened on three known occasions, May 21, May 23 and June 27, when the MEDCO packages were never delivered.

A detective questioned Jansen, who said he was addicted to opiums, but denied taking any UPS packages.

Detectives then went to his home to search the residence and found four MEDCO prescription bottles, two with the UPS intended customer names from the missing packages and two bottles with labels scratched off. The drugs found were Morphine, Roxicodone, Methylphenidate, Focalin, Dexmethylpendate and MS Contin.

They also found a UPS box addressed to Jansen with three plastic bags ripped open and the prescriptions missing, three measuring spoons with Roxicodone residue and two plastic baggies with Opiates/Heroin residue.

Narcotics detectives are still working with UPS security concerning other prescription drugs that may have been stolen.

Jansen was taken to the Charlotte County Jail and charged with Trafficking in Morphine, Sale and Delivery of Roxicontone, Possession of Ritalin, Grand Theft and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.