VIJAYAWADA: Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB), the new enforcement wing constituted by the State government to curb illegal transportation of sand and liquor, registered 15,745 cases from May 16 to June 19 and arrested 21,798 people for indulging in smuggling of liquor and sand.
According to SEB officials, 14,200 cases of the total 15,745 are related to smuggling of liquor and the rest are related to illegal sand transportation. SEB officials arrested 18,961 persons for illegal transportion of liquor and 2,837 persons for sand smuggling. The data revealed that the SEB sleuths have seized 7.57 lakh litres of illicitly distilled (ID) liquor and destroyed 12.8 lakh litres of fermented jaggery wash. The officials also seized 4.6 lakh kg of black jaggery. The SEB anticipated the entry of non-duty paid liquor in the State and successfully prevented it by strengthening the check-posts at all interstate borders.
“With the government increasing the prices of liquor and reducing the number of retail liquor outlets, the incidents of liquor smuggling from neighbouring Telangana have increased as the price was less there. Anti-social elements and bootleggers took advantage of the situation. However, we successfully controlled and destroyed the network and ID liquor brewing units,” said SEB Commissioner Vineet Brijlal.
