Monaco taxi driver jailed after being found slumped at wheel
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
A 44 year old Monegasque taxi driver has been sentenced to eight months in prison after police found him unconscious behind the wheel with drugs and weapons in his car.
Officers on night patrol discovered the 44 year old Monegasque taxi driver slumped against his steering wheel in Monaco on the night of 30 October. He had taken a combination of narcotics and medication, according to the court proceedings that followed his arrest.
A search of his vehicle turned up category C weapons alongside the drugs, adding to the charges against him. The Monaco court handed down an eight month prison sentence, along with other penalties not detailed in the ruling.
The case raises fresh questions about screening and oversight within the Principality's taxi trade, a service relied upon daily by residents, visitors and the business community alike. Monaco's taxi licences are tightly controlled and limited in number, and incidents of this kind inevitably draw scrutiny from both the authorities and the public who depend on the service's reputation for reliability and safety.