Apple’s AirTag helped a California woman outwit alleged mail thieves

A woman had several items stolen from her mailbox at the Los Alamos Post Office, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. If her email was stolen again, she hoped the AirTag would help track down the thieves.

Monday morning, sheriff’s deputies were called to the post office for a report of mail theft. When they arrived, the woman told officials her mail had been stolen again — including the AirTag package.

Law enforcement tracked the AirTag to a block in Santa Maria, about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the post office, and arrested two suspects — a 27-year-old man from Santa Maria and a 37-year-old man from Riverside.

They found the AirTag package among the victim’s mail, as well as items believed to have been stolen from more than a dozen people. The woman declined to be identified, the sheriff’s department said.

The two suspects were booked into jail on charges of possession of checks with intent to commit fraud, conspiracy and identity and credit card theft. The 37-year-old man was also booked on a theft charge and several other Riverside County theft warrants.

The sheriff’s department commended the mail theft victim for contacting law enforcement so they could apprehend the suspects rather than trying to contact them on their own.