CALGARY – Police have charged a Calgary postal worker after more than $30,000 in merchandise went missing.

Last November, Canada Post reported several mail items being returned to the original senders were being stolen.

The thefts, which police said involved phones that had been sent to the manufacturer, allegedly happened between September and December of 2012 at Canada Post's distribution centre in northeast Calgary.

It's estimated more than $30,000 in merchandise was stolen.

On Friday, cops charged Almario Mendoza Torres, 42, of Calgary with theft from mail over $5,000.