STONED TRUCKERS SURPRISE POLICE

RCMP officers were taken aback when they encountered truck drivers
they allege were high on various drugs during a four-day intensive
highway enforcement campaign here in late June.

"With commercial vehicle operators and drugs, that was a bit of a
surprise," said Terrace RCMP constable Ted Luscombe.

"The fact that they're smoking up and impaired, then they're towing
great big units down the road, a tractor, trailer and then maybe a pup
and another trailer. That's 50 to 60,000 pounds flying down the highway.

"These guys have got to be wide awake and alert," Luscombe
said.

Police issued seven 24-hour driving prohibitions for driving under the
influence of illegal drugs and two prohibitions for driving under the
influence of alcohol. The vehicle checks led to nine drug seizures for
marijuana, cocaine, crack and crystal methamphetamine.

Commercial vehicle drivers were given nine violation tickets and nine
warnings. Private vehicle drivers received 37 violation tickets and 57
warnings.

Approximately 15 police officers accompanied by provincial commercial
vehicle inspectors and federal fisheries officers did the checks on
hundreds of vehicles between June 20 and June 23 at various locations
on Hwy16.

Police impounded four private vehicles for licensing problems and
charged one motorist with prohibited driving.

Fisheries officers charged four people for various angling and other
infractions and issued six warnings after checking 52 vehicles and 91
motorists.