The RCMP's traffic-enforcement operation started on a high note last Friday, as officers arrested a man for the possession of drugs after he was stopped for speeding.

Officers around the territory were just gearing up for Operation Impact, a national police initiative aimed at dangerous drivers, when two of their colleagues stopped a car for speeding on the Alaska Highway at around 2 a.m. Friday.

A search of the vehicle turned up bags of marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms, according to police reports, along with other drug paraphernalia.

The 21-year-old driver was arrested and handed a 24-hour driving suspension, while the vehicle was towed to the impound yard.

He faces charges of drug possession and drug trafficking, but has not yet appeared in court, so police cannot release his name.

It was to be the beginning of a busy Thanksgiving weekend for police, who handed out a total of 386 tickets across the territory from Friday to Monday.

Eight people were ticketed for impaired driving, 13 were given one-day suspensions for alcohol and one for drugs, 52 people were caught without their seatbelts on, 329 drivers were ticketed for aggressive driving and speeding and four drug possession charges were laid.

By comparison, Whitehorse detachment officers wrote 115 traffic tickets for the whole month of September.

Insp. Mark Wharton, the officer in charge of the Whitehorse detachment, gave special credit to the auxiliary constables who assisted regular members at check-stops.

"I can't stress how valuable these auxiliary constables are to (Yukon) RCMP,” he said. "They come out on weekends and night shifts and work sometimes in excess of 500 volunteer hours in a year.

"We really appreciate their dedication to their communities and the local knowledge that they in turn teach our members, especially those members new to the territory.”

In spite of all the tickets, RCMP spokesman Sgt. Don Rogers said the public response to Operation Impact has been very positive.

"Our members received a lot of thanks from the public for their efforts, and I would be remiss if I didn't extend a big thank you to the public for their patience and understanding during the check-stops,” Rogers said.

"We even received a number of calls at our telecoms from members of the public who had received tickets, yet called to thank the officers for their politeness and professional manner.”