Guns, drugs seized in truckie search
May 16, 2006 - 1:42PM
About one in seven truck drivers pulled over by Victorian police as part of a multi-state safety operation was found to be carrying illicit drugs.
Victorian road safety taskforce highway unit officers patrolled Wangaratta, on the Hume Highway in Victoria's north-east, and Cobram, at the junction of the Murray Valley and Goulburn Valley highways in the state's north from May 9 to 13 as part of Operation Austrans.
Concurrent operations took place in NSW, Queensland and SA.
Police say they detected 167 offences in Victoria alone.
Taskforce officer Sergeant Allan Tickner said the haul included log book, illicit drug possession and driving-hours offences.
A 39-year-old man from Geelong, was found in possession of a loaded sawn-off shotgun which had the trigger guard removed and trigger filed down, with no safety mechanism, he said.
He was charged with possessing an unregistered handgun, failing to safely store ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm in a public place, possessing a firearm without a licence, possessing amphetamines and making a false log book entry.
Another driver was found with a trafficable quantity of amphetamines, while another possessed both amphetamines and cannabis, Sgt Tickner said.
About one in seven of heavy vehicle drivers who were pulled over as part of Austrans were detected in possession of illicit drugs, he said.
In all, 12 drivers were found carrying amphetamines alone, he said.
"This operation is quite well known throughout the heavy transport industry and yet despite awareness of additional scrutiny at this time of year, we've still detected an alarming number of offences," he said.
"Heavy vehicle drivers who use illicit drugs to combat fatigue threaten the safety of all other road users.
"Driving under the influence of illicit drugs significantly increases the likelihood of a collision. Operations like Austrans are designed to keep Victorian roads safe."
AAP
From The Age
May 16, 2006 - 1:42PM
About one in seven truck drivers pulled over by Victorian police as part of a multi-state safety operation was found to be carrying illicit drugs.
Victorian road safety taskforce highway unit officers patrolled Wangaratta, on the Hume Highway in Victoria's north-east, and Cobram, at the junction of the Murray Valley and Goulburn Valley highways in the state's north from May 9 to 13 as part of Operation Austrans.
Concurrent operations took place in NSW, Queensland and SA.
Police say they detected 167 offences in Victoria alone.
Taskforce officer Sergeant Allan Tickner said the haul included log book, illicit drug possession and driving-hours offences.
A 39-year-old man from Geelong, was found in possession of a loaded sawn-off shotgun which had the trigger guard removed and trigger filed down, with no safety mechanism, he said.
He was charged with possessing an unregistered handgun, failing to safely store ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm in a public place, possessing a firearm without a licence, possessing amphetamines and making a false log book entry.
Another driver was found with a trafficable quantity of amphetamines, while another possessed both amphetamines and cannabis, Sgt Tickner said.
About one in seven of heavy vehicle drivers who were pulled over as part of Austrans were detected in possession of illicit drugs, he said.
In all, 12 drivers were found carrying amphetamines alone, he said.
"This operation is quite well known throughout the heavy transport industry and yet despite awareness of additional scrutiny at this time of year, we've still detected an alarming number of offences," he said.
"Heavy vehicle drivers who use illicit drugs to combat fatigue threaten the safety of all other road users.
"Driving under the influence of illicit drugs significantly increases the likelihood of a collision. Operations like Austrans are designed to keep Victorian roads safe."
AAP
From The Age
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