Police stop overloaded van on A12, find 300+ bottles of laughing gas
A routine stop on the A12 by Veenendaal led to the discovery of over 300 laughing gas canisters. Authorities pulled over the heavily loaded van on the motorway when the tow hitch was hanging unusually close to the road, indicating excessive weight. A check revealed the vehicle was carrying over 300 bottles of nitrous oxide.
The van was about 1,100 kilos over the legal weight limit for its type due to the load. The driver said he had rented it for moving purposes, but authorities discovered the cargo hold was stacked with nitrous oxide bottles up to the ceiling, not household items.
The driver is in custody, has been presented to the examining magistrate, and will appear in court at a later time. His personal details, name, age, and residence have not been made public, as is typical in active criminal investigations.
As of January 1, 2023, recreational nitrous oxide is banned in the Netherlands under the Opium Act. The hundreds of bottles found in the van could therefore lead to criminal charges, alongside any traffic law violations. Moreover, the vehicle being more than 1,000 kilograms over the legal weight limit is itself a traffic offense.
Besides breaking the Opium Act, the driver failed to comply with the rules for transporting dangerous goods. Transporting this many gas cylinders legally requires an ADR certificate and a vehicle fitted with safety equipment, including fire extinguishers and proper hazard labeling.
