Drunk Driving and Drugs Keep the Police and Courts Busy
Arrested by Police after a Drunken Encounter with a Parking Barrier
In late summer, a vacationing South American engineer, revelling in the ambiance of the Portier district, and having drunk to excess, met an unexpected hurdle. His serenity was interrupted abruptly as he forcibly crashed through a parking barrier. Law enforcement stationed by a nearby night club found the telltale signs of inebriation: a hazy demeanor, a sluggish disposition, and a lingering aroma of alcohol. A breathalyzer registered a high reading, confirming drunkenness.
He could consider himself lucky not to face prosecution for the act of vandalism to the parking barrier but he was not going to get away with escaping the DUI charge.
The inevitable guilty judgement, given the clear evidence, meant a 800 euro fine and a four-month prohibition from driving within the Principality.
It doesn’t pay to drive drunk in Monaco. The Police are swift to act and an inevitable high fine is the result, and in extreme cases incarceration.
Reforming Drug Addict is Unconvincing. The Court Takes a Stern View
A 40-year-old transient logger was spotted navigating the winding lanes of a restricted area astride a scooter. He didn’t reckon on an encounter with Police and being caught with over 3 grams of cannabis. Professedly for personal use to feed a habit of over 20 years and counting, he claimed he wished to reform himself post-incarceration and re-integrate into society. One could see in their judgement that the Court were less than convinced. The defendant had a thick dossier in France with incidents of drugs or alcohol-induced driving, driving without insurance and other misdemeanors. The prosecution initially sought a 750 euro fine and the forfeiture of the contraband. Ultimately, the tribunal, possibly sensing a lack of sincerity, increased the fine to 800 euros.
Monaco Courts consistently seek to make sure that drug offenders do not escape Justice.They do support rehabilitation and reintegration into society but the quid pro quo is that the defendant show remorse and will make a sincere attempt at reforming. The defendant failed to make a convincing case.
