Police in the Hunter Valley have expressed alarm after one in four drivers tested positive for illicit drugs during a four-day operation. Operation Spoiler, conducted between Thursday and Monday, saw 78 out of more than 300 roadside drug tests return positive results, prompting warnings from authorities.
Officers also conducted 418 random breath tests, with three drivers allegedly returning positive results for alcohol. In total, 197 penalty notices were issued for offences including speeding, seatbelt violations, and mobile phone use.
Among the incidents, a 26-year-old learner driver and her 21-year-old observer were stopped on the Golden Highway at Denman. Both allegedly tested positive for an illicit drug and were prohibited from driving for 24 hours. In another stop on Mitchell Avenue at Kurri Kurri, a 23-year-old man allegedly tested positive for two illicit drugs. Police seized 7.1 grams of cannabis, 1.4 grams of MDMA, and 5 grams of THC-infused edibles from his vehicle. He will face court next month on drug possession charges.
Traffic Response Group Inspector Stuart Forbes described the results as alarming, warning drivers against driving while impaired. Police Minister Yasmin Catley noted that drug testing is at its highest level in five years but said too many drivers are still not heeding the message.
