Colombian mayoral candidate nabbed for running cocaine in ambulance
Ambulance was stopped in rural Cimitarra, where inspectors found drugs behind a false roof
BOGOTA (AFP) - A surgeon running for mayor in a small Colombian town was arrested along with his supposed medical crew for transporting more than 200 kilos of cocaine cross-country in an ambulance, police said Tuesday.
Besides the doctor, four others were detained -- a nurse, technician, supposed patient and driver, all of whom were dressed in proper attire for their professions.
The ambulance was stopped in the rural Cimitarra area in central Colombia s Santander department, where inspectors found the drugs behind a "false roof."
Investigators determined that the ambulance had traveled from the country s south "with the sole purpose of depositing the load in Cartagena," a northern port city on Colombia s Caribbean coast, police said in a statement.
"The doctor, identified as Edgardo Figueroa, headed the ambulance transfer and is a health professional -- a surgery specialist, a doctor in a municipal hospital and a current mayoral candidate in the town of Puerto Caicedo," police said.
National Police director Rodolfo Palomino told reporters that the ambulance "belonged to the Puerto Caicedo municipality" in southwestern Colombia, and was found with "214 kilos of cocaine, hidden."
The ambulance s unusual route -- it was caught attempting to travel nearly the entire length of the country, south to north -- led authorities to suspect its mission.
Colombia is considered the world s leading producer of cocaine along with Peru. In 2014, Colombia produced some 442 tons of cocaine, 52 percent more than the previous year, according to a report by the United Nations.
