POLICE HAVE HARD TIME ARRESTING COFFEE SMUGGLER

ZAGREB, Sept 19 (Hina) - Zagreb police told reporters on Tuesday a man was arrested the day before near the Croatian-Slovene border in an attempt to smuggle 120 sacks of green coffee. The arrest was preceded by a chase and had the police fire several shots of warning. A police patrol spotted the truck driven by 31-year-old Dragutin Z. in the Slovene village Prosinec early on Monday while it was trying to illegally cross the border into Croatia. Even though the patrol intercepted him, the truck driver did not stop. The police fired three shots in the air, but the smuggler still would not stop. The patrol then started a chase. After ten minutes, the driver skidded off the road into a ditch in the village of Movrac. He then fled to a nearby wood, with the police running after him and calling on him to halt. The smuggler remained stubborn, so the police fired another three shots in the air, which convinced him to give up. Inspecting the truck, the police found 120 sacks of green coffee. The smuggler will be brought to the Zagreb County Court investigating judge on charges of avoiding customs control. (hina) ha