The Excise Department’s special squads created to curb the illegal trade of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), ganja and other narcotic substances have arrested 44 persons in raids in the district so far.
A senior Excise official said around 290 raids were conducted in the last two weeks in various parts of Kozhikode and around 68 abkari cases were registered.
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The total quantity of seized liquor, including arrack and IMFL, was around 384 litres, he said.
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The strike force made the seizures on the basis of tips received through the helpline and from the newly constituted Shadow and Intelligence wings of various circles. During this season, the rewards for informants on large-scale illegal liquor trade would be Rs.25,000.
Check-posts
“Azhiyoor check-post is the first place, where we have intensified surveillance to prevent the easy smuggling of IMFL from Mahe. Near Vadakara, a separate checking arrangement is also on track,” said Deputy Excise Commissioner P.K. Suresh.
He said the attempt to smuggle IMFL using the inter-district private bus service too would be checked through flash searches.
United effort
This time, the main attraction of the special drive is the joint action with the support of various forces including the local police, Railway Protection Force, Marine Enforcement and Coast Guard. Coastal enforcement is the latest attempt from the department, which will begin shortly along the Malabar Coast.