Passenger demands return of hash stash

The 25-year-old was travelling on a train from Zurich to the canton of Ticino on February 24th when he was approached by transport police, reports newspaper 20 Minutes.

Noticing him for his many piercings and tattoos, writes the paper, police searched the man’s bag in which they found 6.6 grams of hash.

Some weeks later the man was convicted of possessing illegal drugs and ordered to pay a 300 franc ($335) fine.

However, with the support of the Ticino Association for Recreational Cannabis, the man successfully appealed, arguing that the search contravened the federal law outlining the powers of transport police.

A judge ruled that, given the man had a valid train ticket and had not behaved in an unreasonable manner, there was no reason for the transport police to search and arrest him.

The man is now demanding that the police records be expunged and the return of his “illegally confiscated” cannabis, reports the paper.