43-year-old fined 3,250 euros and banned from driving in Zedelgem cannabis case
A 43-year-old man was sentenced by the Bruges police court for driving under the influence of cannabis in Zedelgem on 4 August 2026. The court fined him 3,250 euros, imposed a four-month driving ban and declared him unfit to drive under Article 42 of the Traffic Act.
A 43-year-old man appeared before the Bruges police court after attracting
police attention with conspicuous driving in Zedelgem.[1]The offence dated to
4 August 2026 in Zedelgem, where the driver stood out for his sporty driving
style.[1]He allegedly took bends without using the brakes and turned off
three times without using his indicators.[1]At a roadside check he tested
positive for THC, the active substance in cannabis.[1]
The defendant produced several negative urine tests and said he had largely left
cannabis use behind him.[1]He admitted, however, that he had smoked one joint
on his birthday at the end of October.[1]The judge noted that the man was no
stranger to the courts because he had already been convicted twice for drugs.[1]The man said he needed his car for work and had already had to buy a
bicycle to get around.[1]
The Bruges police court fined the 43-year-old man 3,250 euros and imposed a
four-month driving ban.[1]The court also ordered a medical and psychological
examination.[1]Under Article 42 of the Traffic Act, he can apply to be
declared fit to drive again only after six months, with favourable medical
results and negative drug tests.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Charged
1
Prison
4-month driving ban
Fine
EUR 3,250
Agency
Politierechtbank Brugge
Agency type
Court
Activity
Use
Setting
Vehicle
Charge
driving while under the influence of drugs
Case stage
Sentenced
Sentence
Fine
Region
West Flanders
Date
Publication date
Sources
HLNhln.beNL“Mama, je zal je plan moeten trekken”: veertiger (43) verliest rijbewijs na nieuwe veroordeling
Open questions the AI reported
The article gives no separate date for the court hearing; 12 November 2026 is its publication date and stands in for the sentencing date, while the roadside check dated to 4 August 2026.
No cannabis weight was reported, so no seized quantity is recorded.
The report says the man tested positive for THC but gives no detail on confirmatory blood analysis.
The two earlier drug convictions are not described, so the substances and sentences behind them are unknown.
Whether the man appealed the fine, the driving ban or the Article 42 declaration is not reported.
Only one account of this hearing was found, resting on the single HLN court report.
A 25-year-old man from Izegem was sentenced after an undercover agent delivered a resealed postal parcel from Malaga holding 2.6 kilograms of cannabis. A house search added more than 100 grams of cannabis and 9,045 euros in cash, bringing a money-laundering charge, an 18-month largely suspended sentence and forfeiture of the cash.
The Mechelen police court declared a young Dutch man unfit to drive after he admitted in court that he still smoked cannabis every three days, and he had to hand in his driving licence immediately. The court fined him 1,600 euros, half suspended, imposed a 45-day driving ban and said he could only ask for his licence back after six months without drugs.
A 24-year-old man from Duffel was sentenced by the Mechelen criminal court to 120 hours of community service for selling liquid THC, a cannabis product used in e-cigarettes, from his grandparents' home in Mechelen. Police found him through a Snapchat-run delivery service, and the court ordered almost 3,000 euros confiscated.
A young man from Dilbeek was convicted in his absence and given a six-month suspended prison sentence for possessing 30 grams of cannabis found in his car after a speeding stop near Ternat. Investigators found he was not dealing and offered him a 400-euro settlement, which he did not pay, after which he was summoned and sentenced in absentia.
