Despite the GRN’s warnings that its officers would be pulling over drivers at random this New Year’s Eve and breathalising anyone with a pulse, a foolish number of people thought they could get away with drink driving.
The amount of drugs found in vehicles continues to astound readers, with heroin, hashish and cannabis remaining popular chemical accessories on a good night out.
The GNR made 216 arrests and drug seizures over the holiday period and in its summary statement today, its controllers said their officers worked selflessly in making 216 arrests, of which 171 were of drivers over the drink drive limit.
There were 19 arrests of drivers who should not have been driving a car, seven arrests for having drugs in quantities that led the police to believe they were for sale, three for theft and one driver who thought it sensible to be tootling around on New Year’s Eve with a gun for which he had no licence and no explanation.
The GNR confiscated enough heroin for 356 trips, enough hashish to keep 802 people subdued and mellow, 61 grammes of cannabis, two ecstasy tablets, 0.5 grams of MDMA, a firearm, an illegal weapon and €165.
The New Year roadside inspections saw 5,675 drivers stopped and 2,620 violations were logged. 519 drivers were technically drunk, 965 were speeding, 6 were trade vehicle drivers whose loads were excessive and 11 were offences relating to tachographs.
