Drug user asked police for help with a highway vignette — and ended up under arrest

Late one night, a patrol and escort unit was flagged down by a Škoda whose driver asked officers for help buying a motorway vignette for a trip abroad. His behaviour immediately raised the suspicions of the seasoned officers, police spokeswoman Monika Kozumplíková said on Friday.

A drug test confirmed their hunch: the driver tested positive for pervitin and cocaine. But that was only the start of a string of surprising discoveries. A database check revealed the man was wanted nationwide — and so was the car he had arrived in with a female companion.

The search brought a surprise

When officers asked point-blank whether there were drugs or stolen goods in the car, the driver flatly insisted there was nothing of the sort. Even so, police searched the vehicle — and it was a good thing they did.

Officers first found syringes filled with a clear liquid, then rubber gloves stuffed with white powder, and inside the car several different licence plates as well. The driver explained his collection of number plates with icy calm, claiming he simply collects all sorts of things, the police spokeswoman said.

Both sent to pre-trial detention

A prosecutor approved the detention of the man and his companion. They were then handed over to colleagues in Brno, who had been searching for the pair and investigating their extensive property crime and drug-related activities.

Police seized the car as evidence. The man and woman were initially held in a police cell before being transferred to a pre-trial detention facility once investigative procedures were completed, Kozumplíková added.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz