The head of the Yukon RCMP's traffic unit said the amount of drunk driving in the territory continues to be a frustration.

Cpl. Shawn Pollard said there were fewer police check stops this holiday season because of the cold temperatures and bitter winds.

But he said the number of people caught driving impaired shows it's still a big problem.

“We did apprehend 16 impaired drivers over the holiday check stop season, which is obviously a troubling number. We do lots of advertising, let people know we're going to be out there and this continues to go on,” he said.

Pollard said police are looking into whether a head-on collision last weekend in Whitehorse was alcohol-related.

He said they also caught an individual for the fourth time driving while his license was suspended.

Another 17 people were given 24-hour suspensions. Pollard said nine of those were people suspected to be driving under the influence of drugs.

RCMP busiest in Watson Lake

Officers in Watson Lake had a busy New Year’s Eve. Sgt. Cam Lockwood said overall, the Christmas period was relatively quiet, but that changed on the last night of the year.

Lockwood said people were arrested for a variety of offenses including three for alleged cocaine trafficking.

“On New Year’s we were steady. I think we had 11 prisoners in cells. It was a steady night, there were six of us working after midnight on New Year's Day, or New Year's Eve I should say, steady. The drug search warrant we did execute was a large amount of cocaine - we seized approximately three ounces, which is a significant seizure definitely for Watson Lake and a good seizure for the territory,” he said.

Lockwood said that once the three ounces are divided, it could be sold on the street for about $18,000.

He added that the other eight arrests involved violent incidents and other drinking-related offences.