Members of the Brussels-west police zone seized 2,750 sealed laughing gas capsules and nine helium canisters after discovering the goods, believed to be intended for illicit drug sales, stowed away in a vehicle during a series of road checks that took place on Saturday and Sunday.
Police immediately arrested the driver of the vehicle concerned, the Brussels-West police zone confirmed in a statement.
In total, over Saturday and Sunday, the police checked 270 drivers at 31 different checkpoints spread over the communes of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Jette, Ganshoren, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe and Koekelberg.
Of seven drivers who were over the legal alcohol limit, four had their licences immediately withdrawn for three hours, three of them were required to leave their vehicle for six hours and the vehicle belonging to the seventh driver was temporarily detained until he paid a fine of €1,260.
Two drivers, who tested positive for drugs, had their driving licenses immediately withdrawn for 15 days.
Helped by a sniffer dog, the police also discovered 110 grams of cannabis stowed away in one vehicle. The driver was immediately arrested, suspected of being part of a large-scale drug trafficking operation.
In addition to the offences previously outlined, the police compiled six reports for driving without a valid driver's license, five reports for drivers not being in possession of their driver's licenses, three reports for vehicles that had not fulfilled technical inspections, three reports for persons without complete insurance, three reports for individuals not wearing seatbelts, one report for public intoxication and one report for the towing of an abandoned vehicle.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
