Hong Kong police have arrested 19 drivers on suspicion of violating traffic offences in a two-day crackdown in southern parts of the New Territories, with officers stopping 1,500 vehicles for inspection.

The arrested drivers, all men and aged between 21 and 49, were caught at checkpoints set up on major roads on Saturday and Sunday.

Officers detained the suspects over a range of offences which included drink or drug driving, possession of dangerous narcotics and driving an unlicensed vehicle.

The force said it issued 21 fines related to elevated alcohol levels.

A separate crackdown on Friday and Saturday in Kowloon East resulted in the arrest of five drivers, with verbal warnings issued to four others. Some of the alleged offenders were driving high-end vehicles such as Porsche and Lexus cars.

Police said on Sunday morning that a 45-year-old man surnamed Lam had been arrested on suspicion of drink driving after failing a breath test.

The driver caught officers’ attention as his vehicle was veering from side to side on Chong Yip Street near How Ming Street in Kwun Tong.

In a separate case police stopped two male drivers, 38-year-old surnamed Yip and 39-year-old surnamed Yeung, while patrolling on Choi Hung Road in Wong Tai Sin for failing to pass an alcohol breath test. Both were arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

Another man surnamed Wong, 27, was arrested for allegedly speeding and driving dangerously after officers spotted his vehicle weaving in and out of traffic on the eastbound lanes of the Kwun Tong Bypass.

Police gave chase and stopped the car at King Ling Road near Choi Ming Street in Tseung Kwan O.

Officers detained a 38-year-old man on Friday on suspicion of driving with a suspended licence and without third-party insurance after stopping him on Chong Yip Street in Kwun Tong.

All of the arrested in the Kowloon East operation had been released on bail and were required to report to police early next month.

The vehicles involved ranged from a Lexus and a Porsche to a Mini Cooper and a Honda.

Police said that driving while disqualified or without third party insurance were serious offences and punishable by a fine of HK$10,000 (US$1,300) and imprisonment of 12 months.

The earlier of the two crackdowns was conducted by the Enforcement and Control Section of the Traffic Division of the Kowloon East Region.