Police get tough in Highway 63 crackdown

RCMP officers handed out 255 tickets over a three-day period along a dangerous stretch of Highway 63 near Boyle, Alta, about 150 kilometres north of Edmonton.

Sheriffs and RCMP officers checked 280 vehicles on Thursday, Friday and Saturday on a stretch of highway between Boyle and Fort McMurray, the Boyle RCMP said in a news release.

Motorists were ticketed for various infractions, including speeding, driving while under suspension and consuming liquor in a vehicle.

Police also found a loaded gun and two men with criminal records in one vehicle, which led to 12 gun charges and two charges of drug possession.

In another stop, RCMP officers found $20,000 cash in a vehicle travelling from Fort McMurray, and police said it's believed to be money from the proceeds of a crime.

The crackdown comes after a series of fatal crashes along Highway 63. The latest crash, on Jan. 13, took one life.