Police stop bus driver in Spain who was carrying too many passengers and driving under the influence of drugs

The Guardia Civil in Teruel, an area in the mountainous Aragon region of eastern Spain, have arrested the driver of a school bus who was exceeding the permitted number of passengers and allegedly driving the vehicle with drugs in his system between Sarrión and the provincial capital. Upon receiving a tip-off from a member of the public, traffic officers carried out a safety check on this bus at kilometre 1 of the A-232 road, on the outskirts of the town of La Puebla de Valverde.

Inside the bus there were 58 people travelling, even though it was only authorised for 55, and 45 of the passengers were minors on their way to schools: at the time the vehicle was stopped, three of the minors were sitting on the stairs leading to the bus.

Once the vehicle had been stopped and the relevant documentation and authorisation had been checked in accordance with current legislation, the officers carried out the mandatory breathalyser and drug tests on the driver, who gave a positive result in the test carried out with a drug-test device, using a saliva sample taken from the driver, which indicated the presence of narcotics in the body, specifically marijuana (THC) and cocaine.

Once the offences had been detected, the officers issued the corresponding reports for the incidents in question: one classified as very serious, relating to the presence of drugs, and another as minor, concerning excess occupancy. Both are covered under the general traffic regulations, with the offences carrying financial penalties of 1,000 euros and the deduction of six points from the driving licence, and 100 euros respectively.

Likewise, the vehicle was immobilised, leaving the passengers at the scene until they were collected by other buses, which were sent by the same company operating the service.