Van driver disqualified for drug-driving
A man tested positive for cocaine whilst driving on the A23
Last updated 12th May 2025
A van driver has been banned from the roads after testing positive for cocaine during a roadside stop on the A23.
Iain Nicholas, 43, of Stratford Avenue, Rainham, Kent, was stopped by Casualty Reduction Officers on the northbound carriageway at Bolney at around 2.30pm on 11 November last year.
Officers noticed that items in the back of his flatbed van — including a wheelbarrow — were unsecured, posing a risk to other road users. They also observed that Nicholas was not wearing a seatbelt.
After speaking to him about the dangers of unsecured loads, officers administered a roadside DrugsWipe test, which Nicholas failed.
He was arrested and taken into custody, where blood samples were taken for analysis.
Lab results revealed extremely high levels of cocaine in his system. He also recorded more than 800 micrograms of benzoylecgonine — a chemical byproduct of cocaine — per litre of blood. The legal limit is 50 micrograms per litre.
Nicholas, a road construction worker, appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on 8 April, where he pleaded guilty to drug driving. He was disqualified from driving for 15 months and fined £450. He was also ordered to pay a £180 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.
In addition, Nicholas was issued a separate Traffic Offence Report at the roadside for not wearing a seatbelt.
Sergeant Arrol-Barker from the Sussex Police Road Safety Team said: “We are sharing information about this case because drug-driving, not wearing a seatbelt, and careless driving are three of the ‘fatal five’ factors that lead to people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.
We will continue to relentlessly pursue those who put other road users at unnecessary risk of harm.”