Toothpaste sent via Uber Eats Australia turns out to be crystal meth
- Jess was immediately suspicious when she picked up a zip-tied plastic bag from a restaurant in Sydney and was told it contained ‘toothpaste’
- The full-time teacher, who joined Uber Eats to help cope with the rising cost of living, was given a one-star review for going to the police
Jess, whose last name was not revealed by The Sydney Morning Herald, said she was disappointed by the way Uber handled the situation and was even told off for failing to deliver the package.
Jess is a full-time teacher but decided last month to join Uber Eats as a side hustle to try to cope with the rising cost of living. During her second shift on April 22, she said she picked up an order from a restaurant in a plastic bag fastened with a black zip tag.
She immediately thought it looked suspicious, so asked what the order contained. “Toothpaste”, the person told her, according to the report.
Jess decided to cancel the “dodgy” A$16 (US$11) order and took the package to a police station. While on her way, the drug dealer called and verbally abused her, the Herald reported.
A New South Wales Police representative told the newspaper that officers had found a toothpaste tube containing what they believed to be two grams of meth in the package.
Jess said she tried to call Uber Eats but didn’t get a response, so flagged the incident on an online form.
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A week later the drug dealer was still on the app, along with the one-star review, while Jess had not been paid for the delivery.
It was only after The Sydney Morning Herald contacted Uber that Jess received an apology and was told “appropriate internal actions have been taken” against the drug dealer. She was reimbursed and the review was removed.
Jess said she complained on behalf of those who rely on Uber for a living.
“I’m not going to be doing this any more because I’m so disgusted how they’ve treated me,” she told the outlet.
Uber started offering its Connect parcel delivery service in the US during the pandemic in July 2020.
Uber didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.
