In Mettmann, Germany on Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023, two officers from the Traffic Department of the Mettmann District Police Department spotted an 18-tonne truck with Irish plates in a deplorable condition.
The officers pulled the driver over to carry out a vehicle and trailer check. The inspection revealed that the two Eastern European occupants had loaded an unsecured and recently used tar machine.
It also emerged that the two men, aged 28 and 51, had been previously detained by the police on several occasions, primarily for fraud offences related to illegal tar works.
The driver provided a copy of a green vehicle insurance card from a major insurance company, indicating that the Irish truck was insured in Spain and purchased on the Balearic island of Mallorca.
However, upon checking the insurance data with the Spanish insurer, it was discovered that the lorry was currently without valid insurance coverage.
The green insurance certificate presented was a self-filled printout from the internet.
Consequently, several actions were taken against the duo, reports the police. A total of €380 in security deposits was collected for the loading and driving without insurance. The vehicle was immobilized, the license plates removed, and taken into police custody.