Crime | Taxi driver caught driving under the influence of drugs

The police caught a taxi driver who was driving his taxi under the influence of drugs on Saturday, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) spokesperson said yesterday during a police press conference held at the PSP facilities.

The man in his late 20s was caught by the PSP at the Istmo Roundabout in Cotai after a call from a customer who noticed the driver’s strange behavior.

The complainant was a local female resident who said that the taxi driver was talking to himself, kept nodding and shaking his head, and constantly wiping his nose.

The man was intercepted at Cotai at around 5:10 p.m. and brought to the Traffic Department, where breathalyzer testing revealed there was no alcohol in his system.

After being taken to the public hospital to perform a urine test, the man was finally detained at around 9:30 p.m. when the sample tested positive for methamphetamine.

After questioning, the man revealed that he had taken the drug during a trip to mainland China from Feb. 4 to 6, having returned to Macau on the evening of Feb. 6.

The suspect was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office yesterday under the charges of illegal drug consumption and driving under the influence of narcotics.

The spokesperson also revealed that according to police records, this taxi driver had already been charged for overcharging passengers on at least three occasions since 2018.

More infractions recorded during CNY holiday 

During Golden Week, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) recorded a total of 313 taxi violations, according to the statistics released by PSP yesterday.

Out of the 313 total cases, 244 overcharging incidents were reported. In 42 cases, taxi drivers had refused to take passengers. There were 8 cases involving unlicensed taxis illegally taking passengers.

In addition to taxi violations, the PSP also made four prosecutions for illegal firework sales and illegal use of fireworks or firecrackers.

During the same period, the PSP also received 187 noise complaints. PSP officers handled 59 of the complaints using persuasion measures, two were eventually filed as cases and the remaining complaints were unconfirmed.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of taxi violations grew. The main driver of the growth is the number of overcharging incidents.

During the 2018 Spring Festival, the PSP recorded a total of 254 violations, 183 of which were overcharging incidents.

The number of visitors also increased in association with the increased number of taxi infractions.