Alleged drug driver caught with cannabis

File photo / Northern Advocate

A 55-year-old man was caught with up to $7500 of cannabis in his car after police in Tauranga stopped him for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs.

The Coromandel man was stopped on Third Ave, Tauranga, and failed a compulsory impairment test after police suspected he was driving on drugs about 2am yesterday.

A search of his car found more than 460 grams of cannabis in 15 packets ready for sale, along with a large amount of cash, Sergeant Dan Roser said.

Each packet had a value of between $250 to $500.

The man faces drug possession charges and was likely to face a further charge of drugged driving after the results of a blood test were returned.

Mr Roser said he was very pleased the man had been stopped because he was an extremely high risk to other road users and could easily have caused a fatal crash.

- NZPA