Episode 838: A Series of Mysterious Packages

By Nick Fountain,

Kenny Malone, Sandy Wei

Published April 27, 2018 at 5:24 PM EDT

A few years ago, a strange package arrived at the house of Celina Salas. Inside was a plastic watch, painted gold. It only kind of worked. Over many months, more and more oddball surprises arrived: a piggy bank, a friendship bracelet, a fuzzy keychain. And she never learned why. Celina, as they say, is not alone. Odd packages like this have been reported arriving all over the country.

So we tried to figure out what was going on, and the answer led us across the globe, and into some players gaming some of the largest companies in the world.

Music: "Morning Eyes," "Show Me New Orleans," and "Talk to Me."

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Nick Fountain

Nick Fountain produces and reports for Planet Money. Since he joined the team in 2015, he's reported stories on pears, black pepper, ice cream, chicken, and hot dogs (twice). Come to think of it, he reports on food a whole lot. But he's also driven the world's longest yard sale, uncovered the secretive group that controls international mail, and told the story of a crazy patent scheme that involved an acting Attorney General.

See stories by Nick Fountain

Kenny Malone

Kenny Malone is a correspondent for NPR's Planet Money podcast. Before that, he was a reporter for WNYC's Only Human podcast. Before that, he was a reporter for Miami's WLRN. And before that, he was a reporter for his friend T.C.'s homemade newspaper, Neighborhood News.

See stories by Kenny Malone

Sandy Wei