Man caught with £180k worth of cocaine before injuring cop during chaotic arrest

Police had managed to find the suspect with copious amounts of drugs, before he tried to make a getaway but ended up causing a major traffic accident in the process

A man has been arrested after being caught with 4.5 kilograms of cocaine. However, as he was trying to get away, he ended up causing a major traffic accident, which only made his problems worse.

Police in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, were called to an incident taking place in the Maksimir area in the north east of the city on Wednesday (January 14). It had been alleged that the man had been acting suspiciously, and officers had been called to investigate the situation.

However, police were left stunned at the amount of narcotics that were stashed inside his car and immediately tried to detain him. But in the midst of the chaotic arrest, he rushed away and ended up causing copious amounts of damage.

According to local outlet Dalmatinski Portal, officers from Zagreb’s MUP police force stopped a 35-year-old man after reports were made that he had been trafficking drugs. He was also suspected of buying large amounts of cocaine from unknown sources, potentially with the idea of selling it on to users.

Officers eventually launched a criminal investigation and staked out the man, finding him in the Maksimir area, not far from the stadium of Dinamo Zagreb. After getting caught out by officers, it is believed that the man tried to flee the scene.

In an attempt to drive away, the car he was driving ended up injuring a police officer, before eventually smashing into another parked car with his own car, rendering him unable to make a getaway. He was eventually detained, and police seized his car until a warrant was given to search inside.

After obtaining the relevant approval from a court order, the car was searched — with four large packages full of cocaine being discovered. Weighing around 4.5 kilograms, the estimated street value of the packages came to roughly £180,000.

On top of the drugs that were found in the car, officers also discovered stashes of cash, as well as two mobile phones inside the vehicle. The force currently believe that this was used as a way to secretly liaise with suppliers and customers alike to make as much profit as possible.

In a statement, the police said: “The sheer quantity of drugs found, as well as the money, undoubtedly indicate that the drugs were intended for further unauthorized sale, or that the money was acquired through unauthorised sale.” The man has since been remanded into custody and has been charged with the unauthorised production and trafficking of drugs.

Police confirmed that the man is now being looked after by a detention supervisor, although a court date regarding the huge drugs bust has yet to be announced. As well as his drugs charges, the man has also been charged with coercion against an official and damage to another person’s property, as a result of his attempt to flee.

Following the man’s arrest, the car, the drugs and the money have been seized by officers. The exact amount of money hidden by the suspect has not been revealed.

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