Excise Dept Seizes ₹5.38-Crore Contraband, Registers 920 Cases

Bhubaneswar: The Excise Department registered 920 cases, including 36 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and seized contraband worth ₹5.38 crore during the twenty-first to twenty-fourth days of its ongoing Special Enforcement Drive, which began on December 20, officials said.

During the four-day operation, enforcement teams arrested 463 persons and seized 65 vehicles in connection with various violations. In addition, hemp plants valued at ₹3.21 crore were destroyed as part of the crackdown.

According to official data, seizures included 42,399 bulk litres of illicitly distilled liquor and 1,504 bulk litres of duty-paid liquor. The department also recovered 3,83,742 bulk litres of fermented wash and 56,500 kg of gur wash, pointing to continued large-scale illicit liquor production across several regions.

Other recoveries included 1,200 kg of mahua flowers and 15 kg of bhang. On the narcotics front, enforcement teams seized 381 kg of ganja and 1,084 grams of brown sugar during the period.

The department also registered four cases related to illegal cultivation of hemp plants—one each in Koraput and Angul districts and two in Malkangiri.

Officials said the Special Enforcement Drive will continue in the coming days to curb the illegal liquor trade and drug-related activities across the state.