Coked-up ‘speed demon’ hit 240kmh

16 February 2004

AMSTERDAM — Police arrested a 24-year-old motorist on Friday night who was travelling at 160kmh in an 80kmh zone. He later admitted hitting 240kmh and using cocaine.

A police surveillance car spotted the speeder and set out in pursuit as speeds topped 160kmh. The man was arrested and ordered to hand in his licence, news service NOS reported.

The motorist, from the small fishing village of Urk in the province of Flevoland, also admitted he had travelled at speeds up to 240kmh and had used cocaine. He was ordered to undergo a blood test.

Urk has made headlines in recent months due to the high-rate of cocaine use among young adults and teens in a town that has traditionally been viewed as a conservative and religious stronghold.

Police arrested about 20 suspects, mostly locals, in a crackdown last spring, in a case that shocked authorities, the council and churches.

The suspects, most of them fishermen, admitted they used cocaine to help them drink more beer. Several young people have been ordered by the courts to undergo courses to learn how to drink responsibly.  They were also sentenced to community work orders.

The last ruling was handed down at the end of January, but a café manager is also facing allegations he ignored the cocaine use on his premises.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news