Neighbours Acting Suspicious - Shipping Several Large Parcels At Midnight

jj880

Have new neighbours renting the semi d attached to us for nearly a year. My wife, myself and our son in our property nearly 20 years (mortgage) and hoping to stay here forever.

Best neighbours we've ever had. No pets. No parties. No domestics. These were all issues previously.

For the last few weeks a van with an enclosed trailer has been turning up around midnight.

A man and 2 women get out and help our neighbour with several large box parcels out to the van. They are acting very suspicious in general looking round them all the time, they talk for a while examining documents and the parcels with the lights from their phones then all packages get loaded onto the van.

Ive no problem with neighbours making extra cash selling on ebay or whatever. It's the time it's happening and the fact they are obviously acting very shifty while it's going on.

Now this is purely for information purposes and in case it might provide some clue as to what's going on: The neighbours are Ukranian and the women + man in the van are talking French. Like I said they are great neighbours. It's just bizarre. Never seen courier pickups at midnight before. Im just worried something dodgy / dangerous is going on to be shipping large boxes out at midnight.

Any ideas?

allybhoy

"Best neighbours we've ever had. No pets. No parties. No domestics. These were all issues previously"

Surely this is the most important thing… maybe they are shipping supplies to Ukraine, maybe they are selling dodgy gear on ebay, who cares. If the timing is an issue and waking you or your family up up, then mention that politely to them, but outside of that personally i would give up the curtain twitching and speculation.

limnam

Stop curtain twitching and get on with your own business.

Ash.J.Williams

Drug dealers don't use trailers😀

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648684#Comment_122648684

Regarding curtain twitching. Both our living rooms face out onto the road with a turning point at the end of a cul de sac. Anyone driving up and turning at midnight cant be missed. They light up the whole house but I take your point.

I guess my main question is are midnight courier pickups a thing? Its new to me. If nothing dodgy is going on Im fine with it.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648709#Comment_122648709

Nah. Dont think I will.

GBX

.

Devils advocate: van share, very busy and have to work the midnight hour to get stuff done. Couriers will operate at all hours these days

Were in a time when people will watch the windows no sooner have they pressed "confirm order" but are not willing to wait the few days for delivery without working themselves up that it won't arrive on time.

Nothing wrong with seeing what's going on around you but could be fine.

Gregor Samsa

At 11:45 some night, hide in a large box just beside their front door. When the van arrives at 12, they'll load you in. Then, when the doors close and the van takes off, you can climb out and check what's in the other boxes, the destination etc.

Bring a flashlight, some water, a snack and a bottle to pee in, just in case it's a long journey.

Mywifetoldme

My question is when does the stuff in the very large boxes arrive at the house?

Oscar_Madison

Given they’re Ukrainian could these be aid packages going back to Ukraine? Items collected locally then shipped off weekly?
if boxes are leaving the house regularly then obviously “something” is first coming into the house before being packaged and shipped back out- do you see them unloading items from their car regularly or is that sort of thing also done late at night under darkness? 😀

the_pen_turner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648765#Comment_122648765

and your pasport so you get back

pjordan

What's He Building? by Tom Waits

What's he building in there?
What the hell is he building
In there?
He has subscriptions to those
Magazines He never
waves when he goes by
He's hiding something from
the rest of us He's all
to himself I think I know
why He took down the
tire swing from the Peppertree
He has no children of his
Own you see He has no dog
and he has no friends and
his lawn is dying and
what about all those packages
he sends. What's he building in there?
with that hook light
on the stairs. What's he building
in there I'll tell you one thing
he's not building a playhouse for
the children what's he building
in there?

Now what's that sound
from under the door?
He's pounding nails into a
hardwood floor and I
swear to god I heard someone
moaning low and I keep
seeing the blue light of a
T.V. show
He has a router
and a table saw and you
won't believe what Mr. Sticha saw
There's poison underneath the sink
of course But there's also
enough formaldehyde to choke
a horse What's he building
in there. What the hell is he
building in there? I heard he
has an ex-wife in some place
called Mayors Income, Tennessee
and he used to have a
consulting business in Indonesia
but what is he building in there?
What the hell is he building in there?

He has no friends
but he gets a lot of mail
I'll bet he spent a little
time in jail
I heard he was up on the
roof last night
signaling with a flashlight
and what's that tune he's
always whistling
What's he building in there?
What's he building in there?

We have a right to know

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648795#Comment_122648795

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648844#Comment_122648844

Dont see anything arriving at the house but Im not in most days in the morning / afternoon.

I like watching a few box set episodes before bed so Im usually up until after midnight.

Theyre not happy here and want to return to Ukraine. They basically have no English.

Their landlord gave them an electric lawn mower in a box so obviously English instructions. I put it together for them and we communicate using a mobile app that translates speech.

Sardonicat

Mind your own business.

Panthro

I was on board until you said you put the lawnmower together for them as the instructions were in English. Most of those instructions come in multiple languages, one of them being French. Which they spoke to the van people.

Whatever their up to I reckon you were in on the gig at the beginning and now you've been cut loose and you're not happy.

Or Maybe they're slowly moving their stuff back to Ukraine via a French currier.

6541

Go out to them and act like a gormless gobdaw. Have ill fitting dirty jeans on and say TommySlug like sayings…. Are ye doing a bit of midnight parcel moving ?

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648905#Comment_122648905

I say this from experience; there's no coming back.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649048#Comment_122649048

The van people spoke French among themselves then they all spoke Ukrainian (I think) when the neighbour came out to the van.

Yeah maybe that's all theyre doing. Moving belongings.

I find it hard to believe people wouldnt be curious if a van turned up outside your front door and 4 people were out in the street with torches loading large packages into it. I think thats reasonable given its happening at midnight.

herbalplants

They are probably emptying the house of any worthy valuables that landlord owns, before they return there.

Why do they act shifty, looking around if there is nothing hidden?

Ted222

It’s sounds like an Enid Blyton book - Five go in search of mysterious boxes.

Do you have a dog?

Mywifetoldme

Maybe they are manufacturing large boxes.

XLR 8

I wouldn't be happy there either. Escape from a war torn country to end up living beside a nosey gossip like you. Why not mind your own business. Why did you fell the need to mention their nationality. Its irrelevant where they come from. If you genuinely feel something is amiss then ring the Garda Mr.Nosey Parker. Hopefully they tell you where to put your big nose. Or on the other hand just draw the curtains and get on with your life.

nachouser

"What's in the box? What's in the f×cking boooxxx??"

Mywifetoldme

Deal or no deal?

Ted222

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649405#Comment_122649405

Drug deal or no drug deal

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649308#Comment_122649308

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649346#Comment_122649346

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649372#Comment_122649372

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649405#Comment_122649405

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649423#Comment_122649423

😅 Maybe this thread should be moved to After Hours.

MarkR

If they're doing something criminal, there wouldn't be paperwork.

Buffman

OP, freight moves 24/7, most likely a foreign courier picking up before heading for the night ferry. It's normally a lot cheaper to use non-Irish couriers.

Ted222

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058370228/neighbours-acting-suspicious-shipping-several-large-parcels-at-midnight

It’s a shawshank redemption move. The boxes contain earth from underneath the house.

They're creating a tunnel but the question is…. where to????

Emblematic

Maybe they are building something in there.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649451#Comment_122649451

It’s cardboard not paper - there’s a whole cardboard trail apparently

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649625#Comment_122649625

No it’s the great escape- just beyond the start of the woods - but my bet is they’ll miscalculate and fall short by about 20 feet

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648844#Comment_122648844

Oscar,you made them.They are Ukranians shipping items back to Ukraine.Usually obtained from charity shops or Penneys in the previous few days.More than likely family get some and the rest is sold on.Happens twice a week where I am.Mostly Tuesday and Thurs or Sunday

enricoh

Large boxes- probably fags. Percentage of Ukrainians smoking seems high to me n I doubt there's many paying e17 a pack.

Local eastern European shop sells them by the truckload but wary of selling to paddies.

SouthWesterly

They could be russians pretending to be Ukrainian. Did you hear any small children crying out from the boxes? 🫣

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649282#Comment_122649282

Well if there is nothing coming in and parcels going out….. it could certainly be a possibility!

OP: Yes couriers will do pickups at anytime, but usually to commercial premises and it's very expensive so unlikely someone doing a side gig on eBay.

Have you checked to see if special branch are hanging about?

Mywifetoldme

Maybe it's clean west of Ireland air that is inside the boxes and they are selling it in Ukraine at 5 hryvnia a pop.

degrassinoel

Just ask them - if ye have the brass neck to 🤣

StormForce13

There are some would-be comedians on this thread that make Brendan O'Carroll seem almost funny.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122650404#Comment_122650404

I enjoyed Gregor Samsa's opening post.

The frothing at the mouth about discrimination and nosiness not so much. Very dramatic. It was a simple query really.

Anyway got some good answers. Thanks to those posters.

10-10-20

Go trim your hedges at the same time and get a good gawk. You'll need headlights.

Quantum Erasure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648719#Comment_122648719

That's what they want you to think…

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649451#Comment_122649451

The paperwork is cover for what's really going on

wandererz

There are third party delivery vans that do group deliveries to other/certain countries on a regular basis.

My neighbours regularly send a small box or two or certain things that their parents need or want. Also especially before Xmas time.

In that case it's a guy who will drop off in Germany, Slovakia, perhaps Poland etc. Works out cheaper. Gets paid to courier stuff over and brings back stuff for sale here.

Probably delivery to Ukraine and last stop or two before the night ferry.

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122649358#Comment_122649358

It seems where they come from is relevant. Got some helpful answers based on that as they could be sending packages home using couriers doing late night pickups before getting the ferry.

There are posts implying theyre stripping the house out. Surely thats worse than mentioning where they come from. Have you no faux outrage for that?

corks finest

More likely ciggies and booze

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648765#Comment_122648765

While playing the Mission Impossible theme on your Smartphone.

Brendan Bendar

what do they do during the day?

jj880

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122650785#Comment_122650785

Not sure. I rarely see them during the day. My son says the children were at school last year but now theyre being home schooled by their mother.

aero2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648765#Comment_122648765

As mad as it seems, it's been done before - which one of these lads is you?😀

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/welshman-who-mailed-himself-home/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/sep/11/usa.travelnews