Drink-Driver Downgraded: Caught on the Road with Duplicate Licence and £8,720 in Cash
Danut Sabie, 32, from Wood Green, London, has been ordered to hand over over £8,000 after getting caught driving a lorry on a duplicate licence while disqualified for drink-driving.
Double Identity, Double Trouble
Sabie had two separate driving licences—one under his known name, Danut Sabie, and another under his birth name, Danut Costache. In May 2014, he was convicted of drink-driving as Danut Costache and banned from the road for 42 months.
Despite the ban, Sabie landed a job as a delivery driver that same month—using the fake identity of Danut Sabie. The deception didn’t last long.
Arrested with a Haul of Cash
In October 2015, Surrey Police spotted Sabie behind the wheel of an articulated lorry at Frimley Business Park. Inside his cab, officers found a holdall packed with £8,720. Sabie claimed the cash came from salary savings earned during his illicit driving.
The money was seized and held by police pending his court case. Sabie was later convicted of driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
£8,720 Cash Seized and Costs Added
Sabie was handed a two-month suspended prison sentence, 60 hours unpaid work, a 12-month driving ban, and ordered to pay court costs and victim surcharge. But the cash saga wasn’t over.
Representing himself in Guildford Magistrates Court on 24 July, Sabie insisted the money was from various sources, including family gifts and pre-ban savings. District Judge Ashworth wasn’t convinced.
“It is more than likely that the money in your cab on the 26th October came from your wages as a driver whilst you were disqualified.”
The judge ordered the full forfeiture of the £8,720 and slapped Sabie with an additional £1,082.35 in costs.
