A cocaine-fuelled driver was snared after police spotted him swerving in the road.
Grant Raine was behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Insignia when he came to to the attention of officers on a street in Newcastle. A court heard that the 26-year-old was initially pulled over because his vehicle was seen veering from side to side and it was wrongly thought that he was a disqualified driver.
However, when Raine did stop, he failed a roadside saliva swab and a subsequent blood test proved he was over the limit for cocaine and BZE, a breakdown product of cocaine. Raine, of Rosedale Court, in West Denton, has now been banned from the roads for 12 months after he pleaded guilty to two counts of driving over the specified drug limit.
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Bushra Begum, prosecuting at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, said officers were travelling along Northumbrian Way on September 22 last year when they spotted Raine. Ms Begum continued: "While they were following him, they observed the vehicle swerving from side to side."
The court was told that Raine, who has 13 offences on his record and was last before the courts in March 2021, was arrested after failing a roadside saliva swab.
John Brown, defending, said Raine was initially stopped because officers wrongly thought he was a banned driver, adding: "He provided a sample, as requested, and he was polite at the roadside. The BZE is a breakdown product of the cocaine - it's the same drug."
Raine was fined £150 and must pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge. He was also banned from driving for 12 months.
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