Cellphone use and having no insurance were just two of the problems police found when they set up checkpoints this week.

They also encountered some more surprising issues, like a man transporting a number of large marijuana plants in his vehicle.

“There is a prescribed number which you are allowed to have and he had above that number,” said Halifax police spokesman Const. John MacLeod. “It's a 32-year-old man that's been charged under the Cannabis Act and he's scheduled to appear in court at a later date for that.”

Thirty people were stopped for driving with bald tires at two checkpoints in the city, while on the other end of the traction spectrum, four drivers were caught with studded tires -- in the middle of June.

Perhaps the most surprising thing police found was that 18 motorists were caught with fake inspection stickers on their vehicles.

“Our officers over the years have come across individuals who have tried to make counterfeit stickers, or circumvent the program so that they can operate their vehicle with it being unsafe to be on the road,” MacLeod said.

A Coast Tire employee says they've been seeing fake inspection stickers around Halifax for a few years now.

“We have heard of it,” said Peter McFetridge. “We haven't encountered really any of it, here, that I can recall, at least this year.”

In Nova Scotia, vehicles must be inspected every two years.

McFetridge say it's important to have a mechanic properly inspect your vehicle.

“Unfortunately, with these fake stickers, yeah, you run into that problem, where you have vehicles going down the road in unsafe conditions,” McFetridge said.

The department of transportation and infrastructure renewal says they are also aware of fraudulent motor vehicle inspection stickers in the province and have added new inspectors to their staff, so they can spend more time addressing the issue.

Halifax police can't say if they're seeing more fake inspection stickers these days, but, are looking to combat the issue.

“Our officers are looking for those folks that are out there, they are pulling those vehicles off the road,” MacLeod said.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Natasha Pace.