Andorra police detain eight drink‑drivers and make nine drug arrests during holiday campaign

The police detained eight drivers last week during an intensified holiday roadside campaign, after breath or blood tests showed blood‑alcohol concentrations between 0.98 g/L and 1.51 g/L.

The highest reading, 1.51 g/L, was recorded for a 33‑year‑old tourist who had been involved in a minor material‑damage collision on the CG‑2 near Ransol. A 37‑year‑old driver registered 1.46 g/L, tested positive on a roadside drug screening and had 0.76 grams of cocaine seized. Other cases included a 45‑year‑old border official with 1.34 g/L; a 39‑year‑old driver at 1.21 g/L; a 38‑year‑old tourist driving in a zig‑zag pattern who tested 1.16 g/L; a 46‑year‑old motorist with 1.23 g/L who was driving with a suspended licence; and two tourists, aged 27 and 24, with readings of 0.98 g/L and 1.19 g/L respectively.

In separate operations, police arrested nine people on drug‑possession and related public‑health charges. Seven were intercepted at the Franco‑Andorran border while entering the country: a 38‑year‑old tourist found with 1.1 grams of ecstasy; a 24‑year‑old with 1.2 grams of cocaine; three tourists aged 29, 38 and 40 travelling together found with 1.5 grams of MDMA, 3 grams of a substance that tested positive on a generic reagent, and 1.3 grams of MDMA respectively; and two travellers, 29 and 35, detained with 1.2 grams of cocaine and small quantities of marijuana and hashish.

The remaining two drug arrests took place inside Andorra: a 31‑year‑old tourist stopped at Pas de la Casa during a routine street check was found with 0.8 grams of cocaine, and a 37‑year‑old was detained outside a nightlife venue in Canillo in possession of 2.31 grams of cocaine and 0.65 grams of ecstasy.

Authorities also arrested a 50‑year‑old man in Escaldes‑Engordany on suspicion of driving with a suspended licence and an offence against the administration of justice after he fled the scene of a material‑damage collision near the Aldosa roundabout in La Massana and abandoned his vehicle. A 27‑year‑old non‑resident woman was arrested in Canillo on suspicion of failing to comply with an administrative expulsion order.

These actions form part of a seasonal police campaign against drink‑ and drug‑driving that runs during the holiday period. Under current Andorran rules, detention for drink‑driving is applied from a blood‑alcohol level of 0.87 g/L for non‑professional drivers (0.57 g/L for professional drivers); administrative sanctions begin at 0.57 g/L. Exceeding the limits, testing positive for drugs, refusing tests or other aggravated circumstances can lead to fines, licence suspension, criminal charges or imprisonment depending on the offence.