Two recent traffic stops near Innisfail, Alta., turned up a submachine gun and a loaded sawed-off shotgun, police say.

The first incident happened on Dec. 28 on Highway 54.

Officers stopped a vehicle and in searching it found a loaded sawed-off shotgun, ammunition, clown face masks, break-in tools and a controlled substance, RCMP said in a release.

Taylor Curl, 29, from Red Deer, was charged with multiple offences, including unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with a tampered serial number, and possession of a controlled substance.

3 others charged in separate incident

On Jan. 1, officers noticed a prohibited gun magazine in plain view inside a vehicle they had stopped on Range Road 25 in Red Deer County.

A search of the vehicle turned up what police described as a Suomi M-31 "semi-automatic submachine gun" as well as two loaded magazines and other ammunition.

RCMP found this semi-automatic submachine gun during a traffic stop near Innisfail on Jan. 1. (RCMP)

Jeromy Arsenault, 25, and Steven Matson, 34, from Rimbey, and Katelin Savard, 26, from Innisfail, were each charged with several firearms offences.

Innisfail is about 30 kilometres south of Red Deer.