‘Funeral cars also used to transport drugs’

Not only government ambulances but funeral cars, too.

Former civilian police narcotics agent Mary "Rosebud" Ong revealed yesterday that drug couriers also use hearses and not just ambulances to avoid detection in the transport of large quantities of shabu from China.

Ong uncovered the modus operandi of couriers who apparently enjoyed the protection of local government and police officials in the delivery of shipments from Quezon province, which has a long coastline.

"The use of ambulances and funeral cars has been a practice of these drug couriers. They use them to counter strict scrutiny of law enforcers," Ong said yesterday.

Ong issued the statement after anti-crime crusader Dante Jimenez and lawyer Leonardo de Vera went to the PNP Crime Laboratory yesterday to inspect the large shipment of shabu, totaling 503.68 kilos in 15 sacks, seized last Saturday in Real, Quezon.

The cargo was transported by land using an ambulance van and a private Besta van owned by Panukulan town mayor Ronnie Tena Mitra.

Mitra and three alleged accomplices were intercepted Saturday at a police checkpoint with their ambulance carrying the illegal drugs.

Meanwhile, Jimenez, in an interview over radio station dzBB, expressed disappointment with existing policies and procedures on handling court evidence, particularly drugs.

Jimenez sought for immediate legislative action to stop the proliferation of drug "switching" and tampering.

"All drug evidence should be burned at once to avoid its re-sale in the street," he said.