Motorist who appeared in Portlaosie court was 15 times over drug-driving limit
Image for illustration purposes
A DRIVER who turned away from a garda roadside checkpoint was found to be 15 times over the permissible drug-driving limit.
Garda Stapleton told Portlaoise District Court that at 10.50pm on Monday 10 November last year, while manning a roadside checkpoint at the local fire station on Portlaoise Road in Abbeyleix, he noticed a car stop before he came to the checkpoint and turn back. He said he pursued the car and in doing so saw it cross the middle white line on several occasions. The car was eventually stopped at Tonduff, Abbeyleix.
The defendant, Anthony Browne (23), Sroughan, Blessington, Co Wicklow informed Garda Stapleton that it was a works van he was driving “and that he was only back from Amsterdam and had been smoking weed over the weekend.” He was arrested and taken to Abbeyleix Garda Station, blood tested, where the results showed he was over the permissible cocaine and cannabis drug-driving limits.
Mr Browne, who was not present in court, had been summonsed on two counts of drug-driving and one for careless driving.
Garda Stapleton said the defendant has two previous drug convictions, one of which was for driving while exceeding the permissible drug-driving limit in 2025.
Judge Cody noted that Mr Browne had returned a cocaine reading 15 times over the permissible driving limit and wondered: “What was he consuming while in Amsterdam?” He went on to convict the defendant of the offences and issued a bench warrant for his arrest and sentencing.
