MILFORD - A man police say intended to distribute more than 40 pounds of marijuana delivered to him via UPS was released on $1,000 bail at his Milford District Court arraignment Monday.

Joseph Ruggiero, 23, of 3 Commonwealth Ave, Apt. 2, Attleboro, faces a charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

In a press release, police listed Ruggiero’s address as 163 Purchase St., Milford, but court documents list the Attleboro address.

According to a police report filed in court, workers on Oct. 27 at a UPS facility in Shrewsbury noticed an “overpowering smell of marijuana” coming from a truck before it was to head out for delivery.

Workers then found a damaged package that was the source of the smell. A review of records showed that the Northern California address has sent shipments to the same Milford address – 163 Purchase St. – several times before. Records found that Ruggiero lives at the home.

Police, working with UPS, delivered the package to the address and waited for several hours, but only saw an unidentified woman exit the home, move the package several feet, and re-enter the home.

Police then took the package back themselves and per a search warrant, opened the package and found 18 bags of marijuana weighing a combined 21.5 pounds, according to the report.

Two days later, UPS called about another pungent package, this time addressed to an East Main Street residence, according to police.

The package was delivered to the second floor deck of the address, per the shipping instructions, before police said Ruggierio arrived, parked in the driveway, looked at the package for several minutes and entered the apartment, police said.

After 15 minutes, he left again, examined the package, stood on the deck “looking around as if he was looking for someone watching him," police wrote in the affidavit.

After opening a flap of the package, Ruggiero made several phone calls and went back into the apartment.

Police then approached him and asked about the package, but he denied knowing anything about it, adding that he was at the apartment only to take a shower

While police were speaking with him, two occupants of the apartment arrived, who told police they got a call from their roommate saying there was a package on the porch but none who lived there knew anything about it.

One of the occupants of the apartment – who works for Ruggiero - said the downstairs neighbor claimed a package was delivered and Ruggiero arrived to pick it up while they were at work, according to police.

In the police report, police said Ruggiero “would have knowledge of when no one was home at the residence.”

Police found the package to contain 20 large bags of marijuana, this time weighing a combined 23 pounds.

His attorney, Arthur Kelly, filed a motion to preserve the UPS packaging for "fingerprint analysis."

According to police, the estimated value of both packages is approximately $220,000.

Zachary Comeau can be reached at 508-634-7556 and zcomeau@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZComeau_MDN.