An RCMP officer standing next to a truck on the side of a highway.

Saskatchewan RCMP's latest traffic safety blitz took 47 drivers off the road, 25 of whom had drugs in their systems, according to police. (Saskatchewan RCMP)

Drug impairment far outpaces alcohol impairment in RCMP traffic blitz

By Susan McNeil, paNOW Mar 12, 2026 | 3:04 PM

Another blitz by Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services resulted in 47 drivers being removed from the road. More than half had drugs in their system.

RCMP officers from Yorkton and Saskatoon Combined Traffic Services were in La Ronge between March 4 and 8 for their third traffic safety initiative in and around the community.

In five days, officers checked 275 drivers for impairment, leading to three license suspensions for drinking and driving and 25 suspensions for drug impairment.

Another 16 people were caught driving without a valid licence.

Criminal charges were laid against two drivers for operating a vehicle while impaired and another driver was charged with refusing to provide a breath sample.

Officers issued 204 warnings and 181 tickets. About a third of the tickets were for speeding.

On March 4 and 8, police officers conducted patrols on the way to and from La Ronge and on March 5, they organized two check stops on Highway 102 – south of Highway 915 – and patrolled the Stanley Mission community.

On March 6, they patrolled the new all-weather road between La Ronge and Wollaston Lake as well as the Wollaston Lake community. La Ronge and the communities between La Ronge and Stanley Mission were patrolled by officers on March 7.

More than 1,000 arrests made by SERT

Saskatchewan RCMP are also sharing the results of their Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams (SERT) in 2025.

SERT’s units target the individuals and criminal groups behind violence and drug-trafficking in the province, focusing on those “causing the most harm in Saskatchewan,” according to Insp. Michelle Ireland, the officer in charge of SERT, in a release from RCMP.

Their highlights from 2025 include the seizures of around 60 kg of methamphetamine, 14 kg of cocaine, 357 grams of fentanyl and more than 120 firearms.

SERT’s units also made 1,048 arrests, executed 765 arrest warrants, conducted or helped with 69 inter-provincial investigations and laid 955 charges under the Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

According to Ireland, these results show the “real impact” SERT is making in, “removing dangerous drugs, firearms, and high-risk offenders from communities throughout the province.”

– with files from 650 CKOM’s Marija Robinson