Andhra Pradesh: Excise Steps Up Drive Against Illegal Liquor
With Sankranti approaching, excise officials expect a rise in illegal liquor inflow. Checks have therefore been strengthened at all entry points and check-posts.
Kurnool: Excise officials have intensified surveillance to curb the inflow of Non-Duty Paid Liquor (NDPL) into Kurnool district from neighbouring States. According to official data, 8,701 NDPL cases were registered across Andhra Pradesh in 2024, while 2,929 cases have been booked in 2025.
Statewide, Sri Sathya Sai district recorded the highest number of NDPL cases, followed by Anantapur, with Kurnool ranking third. Excise authorities said a large volume of illegal liquor is being smuggled from Karnataka, particularly into border districts such as Kurnool, Sri Sathya Sai and Anantapur, which share long boundaries with the neighbouring State.
Officials explained that Karnataka produces low-cost liquor in small tetra packs, making it easy for smugglers to transport and sell it cheaply in Andhra Pradesh. As a result, surveillance has been stepped up in the affected districts, where the highest number of NDPL cases have been detected.
With Sankranti approaching, excise officials expect a rise in illegal liquor inflow. Checks have therefore been strengthened at all entry points and check-posts.
Police investigations show that nearly 50 per cent of NDPL cases in the State involve liquor sourced from Karnataka. Smuggling from Tamil Nadu into Chittoor and Tirupati districts, and from the Union Territory of Yanam into Konaseema and Kakinada districts, has also been identified.
Kurnool excise superintendent Sudheer Babu said the district’s long border with Karnataka makes it vulnerable. “We have intensified checks to prevent the inflow of low-priced tetra pack liquor,” he said.
District | 2024 | 2025
Kurnool 1,368 | 437
Sri Sathya Sai 1,579 | 742
Anantapur 1,368 | 437
YSR Kadapa 116 | 15
Kakinada 755 | 186
Annamayya 308 | 77
Konaseema 645 | 435
Chittoor 789 | 197
NTR 773 | 102