Author: Denis Tahiri
Amid the rising numbers of drivers not only drunk at the wheel, but drugged as well, the limit was crossed by car racing that turned into a trend during the midnight hours. A video shows a sports car, type Audi, that does not respect a red traffic light. The police alerted for violations of this nature that are not related to the driver's haste but to his condition under the influence of narcotics, signals the audit manager to stop. According to the official announcement, the driver of the vehicle objected to the traffic police officers and tried to leave, but was handcuffed by the police officers. After being escorted to the traffic police premises, he was tested for the use of alcohol and drugs. The young man tested positive and under the influence of cocaine.
But in the face of such situations that during 2021 counted 47 drivers arrested in a drugged state, one month after the use of a special device for drug tracking, the numbers are negligible. According to the sources of Sinjalizo, this device has so far caught only 4 citizens who were driving in the capital red-handed. Others have been found to always have doses of drugs hidden in sneakers, pockets, and seats.
3 thousand dollars a test, but even more expensive tampons
In the face of the alarming increase in users, sources from the Traffic Police inform that there are currently two AquilaScan devices available to the Traffic Police. This is also the reason why it has not been widely used by the police.
" There are two devices and I cannot use them in the field, so they are located near the Traffic Police premises. When drivers have indications that they have consumed narcotics, they are accompanied, a test is performed and based on the results, procedures are continued," the same source told Sinjalizo.
Through verifications on various sites about this device, it turns out that its purchase price is $2995. This apparatus, according to the manufacturer's explanation, works by using a sample of oral fluid that is taken using a sponge through which the sample is taken from the inside of the subject's mouth. After the sample is taken, it is placed in the test cassettes and then put into the analysis unit, where it is scanned for 7 different types of drugs. The analysis shows the last use of the drug and also shows the invalid tests on the screen.
A test like that of covid
Besmir Qibini, Head of the Traffic Police of the capital, in an interview with Sinjalizo, explains that the device works in a similar way to the covid-19 test. " After the secretion is taken on the spot from the driver of the vehicle, within 2-3 minutes the device manages to detect all types of drugs," he says. But when asked if making this test available to the Albanian Traffic Police is a "pilot project", the head of the capital's roads does not give a precise answer, but indicates that it is something that is not in all police stations.
" AquilaScan is the latest device that has started to be used for the first time by the Tirana traffic police and we hope that other traffic police stations will follow our example," he says, implying that the device is not located in any other station in the Republic of Albania except in the capital.
When asked about the number of devices available to traffic police officers, the police officer does not give a number. But whether you will be a subject of a drug test in the capital or not, there are a number of factors that decide it, starting from the various police information on people suspected of using narcotics. " Erratic or dangerous behavior of drivers on the road, or suspicious elements in the behavior of those stopped for control", are some of the factors according to the head of the Tirana traffic police that push the officers to carry out the test. Qibini also adds that traffic police officers are trained to identify behavior of drivers that raises doubts about their suitability to use the road.
Law on drunk driving
But if you are found to be driving while under the influence of drugs, the punishment is different from other traffic violations. " These violations are considered crimes under Article 291 of the Criminal Code and are punishable by up to 3 years in prison. This means that in addition to administrative measures such as the revocation of the driver's license, fines and the obligation to retest, drivers who are found to be drunk or under the influence of drugs are subject to arrest in flagrante delicto and criminal proceedings," concludes the chief of the Tirana Traffic Police.
Experts: The test is expensive, cooperation between different police forces is needed
Although experts see the introduction of drug testing for drivers in Albania as a positive step, they see it with skepticism due to its costs. Gëzim Hoxha, an expert on road safety, says that this is also the reason why it is not used often.
" The device costs 2-3 thousand dollars, but the elements for taking the sample, namely the swabs, are expensive. That's why it is not used often and there are no great results, not that there are no users behind the wheel," he says, adding that preventing drivers from using narcotics requires an interweaving of the work of the traffic police with that of the public order and criminal, to identify the users and test them. " This is something expensive, it's not like the alcohol ampoules that we produced ourselves some time ago," he says, insisting that databases and cooperation between police forces are needed.
" We need programs that give alerts. It's like when the police put a car on alert, they register it and every police officer who meets it on the road comes out with an alert, the police don't know the reason but find out at the police station where they then identify it," he concludes.
From the research that “Sinjalizo” has conducted, it has resulted that the tampons for this device cost 18 euros. On the website of a Romanian company that sells the device, its tampons are listed at a price of 18 euros, while the device itself costs about 4000 euros. The Romanian company also provides the specifications of this device, which takes 5-10 minutes to identify whether the driver has used drugs and what drug he has used from the 9 types that this device identifies. The 9 types of drugs that this device identifies are: cocaine, methamphetamine, benzodiazepine, cannabis, opium, amphetamine, ecstasy, methadone and ketamine.
However, these types of drugs are not the only ones circulating in Albania, which the "AquilaScan" device cannot identify. One of these drugs that is widespread in Albania is heroin, which is found to be such according to the official statistics of the State Police, which in 2010 seized 15.5 kg, in 2011 about 21.4 kg, in 2012 a quantity of 87.7 kg, in 2013 an amount of 47.3 kg, in 2014 a full 73.5 kg, but in 2015 the amount of this drug seized by the police went to 36.9 kg, going to 2016 kg in 57.3. While in 2017, the amount of heroin seized by the Albanian police reached 21.4 kg, having an amount of 23.9 kg in 2018 and 38 kg in 2019. While in 2020 and 2021, 51.6 kg were seized respectively. and 35.5 kg of heroin.
In the list of drugs of the State Police, which have been seized within the territory of Albania, there are also narcosynthetics, diazepan and phentermine.
Drugs trend, but alcohol use remains the biggest concern
And in the face of this innovation in the police, which clearly cannot cope with the flow of drivers with only two devices, the problem for the police remains the drunk driver at the wheel. Even to those who drive public transport. The recent cases of public transport accidents in the capital have once again brought to attention the need to increase security measures. The road safety expert, Gëzim Hoxha, says that it is necessary for these vehicles to be equipped with packages that, if the driver does not take the alcohol test and the result is negative, the vehicle should not be started.
" You have a bus driver who drinks alcohol and a device like this is installed that if he doesn't blow on it and it turns out to be sober, the vehicle won't start," says the expert, who adds that these devices are expensive, but the cost can be charged to the companies. " For public transport, this should be made mandatory, there is precedent in other countries that has worked," he concludes.
Just a few days ago, 3 accidents were registered with public transport vehicles in the capital, where after an accident with another car, a city transport bus ended up in the Lana river, where fortunately there were no victims. But there were also injured people, where 2 people in the car that collided with the bus and 4 citizens in the vehicle ended up in the Trauma Hospital.
