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Traffic Police Detain 236 Drunk Drivers in 24 Hours

Moscow traffic police were out in force over the weekend, detaining more than 230 motorists in 24 hours for drunk driving, city traffic police said Sunday.

A police representative told RIA-Novosti that out of the 236 drivers detained Saturday, 154 agreed to questioning, while 82 refused police checks.

The representative added that traffic police had documented a total of 989 cases of driving under the influence since police launched the citywide Operation "Drunk Driver."

The police operation, which enters its second week Monday, comes as part of a government-sanctioned crackdown after an intoxicated Moscow resident on Sept. 22 careered into a bus stop at high speed, killing five orphans, a caregiver and her husband.

The driver, identified in news reports as Alexander Maximov, 30, faces up to nine years in jail on multiple manslaughter charges.

Reacting to the crash, the ruling United Russia party has publicly backed introducing tougher fines for drink driving and prison sentences for repeat offenders, even if their driving doesn't cause casualties.

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