Can cocaine turn into BZE after your blood is taken? YES. Cocaine can begin to break down after a blood sample has been taken. Some of it may turn into benzoylecgonine, usually shortened to BZE. But that is only the beginning of the answer. Let’s dispel one myth right away: the temperature and the length of time the blood is stored do not scientifically cause the sample to corrode. But this is not to say that cocaine in blood cannot break down. Facts The fact that cocaine can

On 27 October 2025 the Financial Times reported that Belgium was now regarded as a “narco state” by some members of its own judiciary. Quoting an investigating judge, now living in a safe house for 4 months, Belgium was “facing an organised threat that undermines our institutions”.

Future cameras won't necessarily be looking at your registration plate. They may be looking inside the car

"Judge Carroll told the employer that she could not understand how any employer could not identify which one of their staff were driving their vehicles at all times"

If people are aware of this, the ‘deterrence’ power of jail has been effective. In other words, the risk of jail helps people to ‘self-police’ while on the roads, without the necessity of having police officers standing on every street corner or sending scores of people to jail.

"If you have a few convictions for road traffic offences in the past then the calculus changes. As far as the courts are concerned, you’re not learning your lesson. So maybe jail is the appropriate sanction here?"

"Judges get a lot of criticism online (some of it deserved) but most of it is undeserved"...

You may escape disqualification the first time. You won't the second time. The third time? You're looking at jail.

A tree surgeon is not a surgeon

An innovative new 'scrappage scheme'

Be careful what you take

Be careful out there...

The eternal question...

"Many people wrongly believe they can start driving again as soon as they reach the halfway point of their ban..."

"Testing blood for alcohol takes a few days. Its a very quick process. But testing blood for drugs "takes weeks if not months" (to quote the Bureau)"

Dangerous Driving FAQ Ireland | Penalties, Reports & Summons Explained What happens if someone reports me for dangerous driving in...

"In one scenario you’re driving at a time and a day when there is nobody around. In the other the reverse is the case. Even if there was nobody around it could still qualify as dangerous driving becasue it might be reasonable to assume that at that time of the day you would expect people to be there"

"But in 95% of hit and run cases, there is no injury caused to anyone else, and jail is highly unlikely, especially for first time offenders"

"The legal limit for benzoylecgonine is 50ngs. And the mean level for it was a whopping 1032.9ng, more than 20 times the legal limit"

After all, as most judges see it, if you’ve been convicted of bad driving before, then you’re clearly not learning your lesson. “So why should I give you another chance?”