POLICE have been called in to help the Gold Coast Turf Club curb a worrying spate of illicit drug use at race meetings.

Racegoers’ cars were searched, with drivers undergoing roadside breath and drug tests while patrons entering the turf club were checked by drug-detecting dogs.

Turf club chairman Brett Cook yesterday confirmed there had been three incidents of illicit drug use or possession at race meetings late last year.

“I’ve been here eight years and we’ve never had a problem with that stuff,” Mr Cook said.

“But from mid-November to mid-December we had about three incidents over a six-week period.

“There was one incident in the events centre where somebody was caught on the premises with illicit drugs and arrested and taken off site.

“It’s a major problem in society and we want to make sure we are being proactive and sending a strong message that there is zero tolerance.”

The weekend blitz was led by Senior Sergeant Scott Burness, operations leader for the Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise entertainment precincts, who said it came after the club reported issues with drug use and anti-social behaviour.

“The drug we were targeting there was cocaine,” Sen-Sgt Burness said.

“We’ve previously apprehended people in possession of cocaine plus we had CCTV footage from the turf club, either of people using or possessing cocaine, and there was enough there for us to justify the resources and to send a clear message that there is absolutely no tolerance for it.

“We wanted to show our tactics aren’t just limited to ­policing nightclubs overnight and we will look across all venues, at all times of the day and night.”

Investigations are ongoing after a 52-year-old woman who was entering the racecourse was found in possession of prescription medication she was not authorised to have.

Police said she had two pills of Ritalin which was used for ADHD but can also give similar effects to amphetamines.

A 20-year-old man is also due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on March 21 after police found half an ounce of cannabis and a bag of white powder in his vehicle.

Sen-Sgt Burness said the turf club sting was part of a two-day operation that also ­involved the Gold Coast’s light rail system on Friday night.

“For the first time we ran the dogs across the light rail on the Friday evening and the follow-up was the turf club operation on the Saturday,” he said.

“On the first day we had three seizures of drugs and on the second day we had two ­seizures.”

The seizures on Friday included two teenagers in possession of cannabis.

“The seizures were only a small part of the number of people the dogs indicated on,” Mr Burness said.

“In many of those cases the person the dog did indicate on weren’t found to be in possession of drugs but admitted to recent possession or recent use or contact with drugs.”