RCMP seize nearly 500 grams of cannabis, 45 packs of edibles during traffic stops on Vancouver Island

The seized cannabis is shown. (RCMP)

Police say they seized hundreds of grams of cannabis and dozens of packages of edibles when they were conducting traffic stops on southern Vancouver Island over the weekend.

Mounties say they checked over 1,000 vehicles at traffic stops in Duncan, B.C., the Cowichan Bay area, and along the Trans-Canada Highway on Sept. 24.

During those checks, 28 violation tickets were issued, 30 written warnings were handed out, three prohibited drivers were stopped, and 15 citations were served – including one for excessive speeding and two for impaired driving, according to RCMP.

One of the more eventful stops included the seizure of over 480 grams of dried cannabis, and 45 packages of edibles.

Police say the weekend traffic stops were largely well received by the community. The checks included officers from the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP, the British Columbia Highway Patrol, and police dogs.

"Officers received positive feedback from the general public during this enforcement operation," said Cpl. Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the BC RCMP in a statement Thursday.

"These traffic initiatives are routinely undertaken to ensure compliance with the Motor Vehicle Act and Road Safety for all motorists, as a part of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP’s commitment to public safety," he said.