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The Guardia Civil's latest testing campaign took place between 2 and 8 August.
Nearly half of  drugs tests carried out on drivers give a positive result

Nearly half of drugs tests carried out on drivers give a positive result

A campaign by the Guardia Civil Traffic squad in the province found that 46 of the 108 drivers tested were under the influence of a narcotic substance

JUAN CANO / ÁLVARO FRÍAS

Friday, 3 September 2021, 09:17

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For a while now, the Guardia Civil has been conscious of a changing trend. It appears drug consumption has been gradually taking the place of drink-driving, and checks they have been carrying out on drivers have confirmed this. Almost half of those stopped in Malaga province (including the Costa del Sol) and tested for drugs have shown positive.

The figures relate to the most recent campaign carried out by the Guardia Civil Traffic squad. Between 2 and 8 August, officers tested 3,541 drivers for alcohol consumption and 108 for drugs, and the percentages of positive tests vary considerably, depending on the substance.

In the case of alcohol, 1.81 per cent of the 3,541 drivers tested positive in a breathalyser test. However, in the case of drugs, 42.59 per cent of the tests were positive, although the number of drivers tested was much lower than those who were breathalysed, at 108.

The reason for the difference, say sources, is that the drugs tests are much more selective: the officers only test drivers who show signs of being under the influence of a narcotic substance.

Of the 46 drivers who tested positive for drugs, 37 per cent had consumed cannabis. In fact, this week a 20-year-old French national was detained by police in Fuengirola after causing an accident by hitting a 41-year-old cyclist and causing his death. The driver, who is now in prison, tested positive for cannabis.

For the past ten years, the Guardia Civil in Malaga province have been using the Dräger company's Drug Test, which is capable of detecting five different substances: cocaine, opiates, cannabis, amphetamines and methamphetamines.

These tests can detect when the substances have been consumed recently, up to 24 or 48 hours earlier. The test result only serves as an indication and has to be confirmed by complementary analyses in a specialist laboratory.

Cocaine and amphetamines were among the substances detected in drivers during the latest checks in Malaga.

A Guardia Civil officer with decades of experience sums up their findings: "Whereas before people used to have four or five drinks when they went out, now they are likely to take pills or a few lines mixed with energy drinks," he says.

The officers are trained to recognise the profile of a likely offender and the symptoms of drugs having been consumed. Those are the signs they look for when deciding whether to stop and test a driver, and that is why the percentage of positive results is so high in comparison with those for drink-driving.

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