Excise Department Seizes Banned Substances Worth Rs.94 Crore

Hyderabad: The excise department, which has upped the ante against ganja, ID liquor and non-duty paid liquor, has seized intoxicants worth Rs.94.42 crore in the last three months. Around 396 cases have been filed against 553 persons. While 2,283.76 kg of dry ganja was seized, 427 plants were destroyed. Ganja ‘chocolates’, weighing 68.865 kg were confiscated along with 30.33 gm MDMA, 80 gm of heroin, 117.2 gm of charas, and 133 vehicles.

The raids were held under the direction of excise enforcement director, Kamalasan Reddy. The department has filed 9,145 cases in raids on country liquor, detained 4,010 persons and seized 47,060 litres of the intoxicant. Jaggery weighing 2,48,094 kg and 29,04,094 litres of jaggery liquid, 14,302 kg of alum, 593 vehicles and Rs.39,15,35,990 worth country liquor and other items were seized by the officials during raids.

The other seized substances include opium poppy worth Rs.1.73 crore in the last two days in Shamshabad. A release by the department informed that the substance is also used for making tea and lassi. They recovered gutkas ‘manufactured’ in Babul Reddy Nagar area.

The officials seized 45 kg of ganja that was being transported from Tekulapalli to Yellandu via Bhadrachalam. It is further transported to Delhi via Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Madhya Pradesh. Similarly 13.5 kg ganja was seized near Bhadrachalam in another instance.

On March 30, the excise teams seized 70 kg of ganja valued at Rs.10 lakh, apart from a car and two bikes.

Between December and March, substantial quantities of illicit liquor, ganja, hash oil, heroin and opium were seized. Non-duty paid liquor worth rupees seven lakh was seized in Peddapalli district on March 10. Liquor in 90 cartons was confiscated from a godown in Sultanabad mandal while seven persons were arrested for selling liquor manufactured illegally in Madhya Pradesh.