'Suspicious' vaper got 'very jittery' when police looked inside his rubber glove

Pranas Zaliauskis
-Credit:Merseyside Police


A drug dealer claimed to be a "hoarder" after the illegal contents of his backpack were revealed. Pranas Zaliauskis was found to be in possession of hundreds of pounds of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as a rubber glove stuffed full of cannabis, after the police became suspicious of the vaping cyclist.

He had also been carrying a bounty of potential weapons, including a blowtorch, at the time of his arrest. The "jittery" thug did not go quietly however, lashing out at officers and wrestling with them in the road among passing cars.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Wednesday, that Zaliauskis was spotted on CCTV engaging in a suspected drugs transaction in Warrington town centre at around 10pm on June 27 last year. The 33-year-old, of Lovely Lane in the town, was seen vaping on a bike before cycling away and handing a small bag containing a white substance to an unknown male in exchange for cash.

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Ken Grant, prosecuting, described how the defendant was then stopped and searched by police on Liverpool Road as a result. Zaliauskis was said to have "appeared jittery and nervous" at this time and pulled his arm away from the clutches of one officer before shoving him.

A struggle then ensued as the detainee attempted to escape and struck a PC several times to his chest, which was covered by body armour. He continued to throw punches at both of the police officers as they wrestled in the road while traffic passed by in close proximity, with a screwdriver having fallen from his pocket during the melee.

After Zaliauskis was restrained, he was found to be in possession of 29 wraps of crack cocaine worth £290, nine wraps of heroin valued at £90, £240 in cash and a mobile phone. A search of his backpack meanwhile revealed a small blowtorch, several pairs of pliers, a number of screwdrivers, a Stanley knife, a pair of scissors, a set of nail clippers and a blue medical glove "stuffed with an unknown substance" which later transpired to be a quantity of cannabis.

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Under interview, he gave a prepared statement in which he denied any involvement in the supply of drugs and said that the items in his possession were "for personal use". Zaliauskis maintained that he had not used the screwdriver in his pocket to assault the officers and stated that he was "a hoarder who collects objects he finds".

He has no previous convictions. Jim Smith, defending, told the court: "The facts indicate that the defendant was a drug user and that the quantities supplied are consistent with low level dealing.

"This is a gentleman who came to the UK from Lithuania to improve his life chances and employment. Unfortunately, since his mother's death, he has been dependent upon drugs. The death of his mother acted as a catalyst in the decline of his mental wellbeing. She was someone who was supportive to him and someone who was the glue of the family.

"He took her loss extremely badly. In recent times, he has been trying to assist himself. He has sought support from drug agencies. He hopes, during his period of incarceration, to ensure that he comes off street drugs completely and move forward more positively."

Of the items found in his bag, Mr Smith added: "His instructions are that he collected and collated all of the objects that he had and brought them out at the time. Some of the items would be described as harmless, others would not. There is no suggestion that he either threatened with or produced that knife."

Zaliauskis admitted possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply, assaulting an emergency services worker, obstructing police and possession of a bladed article in a public place. He was jailed for three years by Judge Brian Cummings KC.