Drugged driver and large drug seizure in one

At around 2:00am on Sunday morning, Police from the Western Bay of Plenty Traffic Alcohol Group apprehended a 55 year old Coromandel man driving on Third Avenue, Tauranga, who now faces a drug possession charge.

The man was processed when it was suspected that he was driving while under the influence of drugs. He failed a compulsory impairment test which is designed to detect drug impaired drivers.

Sergeant Dan Roser of the Western Bay of Plenty Traffic Alcohol Group said that Police are using the drugged driver legislation well to keep roads safer for sensible law abiding motorists.

A search of the man's vehicle located a substantial amount of cannabis weighing in excess of 460 grams in fifteen packets ready for sale along with a large amount of cash.

Sergeant ROSER said that each packet had a value of between $250 - $500, with $300 per packet being a conservative and realistic amount.

Mr Roser said that he was very pleased the man had been stopped by Police as he was an extremely high risk to other people on the roads and could quite easily have caused a fatal road crash.

A further charge of drugged driving is pending the result of the man's test.