PATNA: Liquor mafias operating in Bihar will soon feel the heat of the state government’s strict action as the excise department, in cooperation with the prohibition and state narcotics control bureaus, has identified 127 liquor traders for the attachment of their ill-gotten property worth several crores.
The bureau has submitted a proposal to the court under section 107 of the BNS to confiscate these mafia members’ assets. The government initiated the action to break the backbone of the liquor trade by inflicting financial blows.
Ajay Kumar Pandey, DIG, Prohibition and State Narcotics Control Bureau, said that in 2026, the state police seized an average of over 3.50 lakh litres of liquor per month, nearly 11% higher than the monthly average of 3.14 lakh litres recorded in 2025.
Meanwhile, the narcotics control bureau itself seized an average of 1.06 lakh litres of liquor per month in 2026—a 24% increase in comparison to the previous year. By May 2026, the state police had also seized 38,474 litres of spirit, used for making country-made liquor.
To dismantle the networks of liquor smugglers, Bihar Police conducted operations beyond the state’s borders. A total of six special operations were carried out up to May of this year: five in Uttar Pradesh and one in Jharkhand.
During these operations, liquor and vehicles worth over Rs 5 crore were seized.
According to the official, 57,000 people have been arrested up to May 2026. Among them are 19,877 liquor traders and 37,027 individuals arrested for consuming alcohol. As many as 569 traders were apprehended within Bihar, while five major liquor smugglers linked to other states have also been arrested.
The state prohibition department said 97% of the liquor seized between April 2016 and May 2026 has already been destroyed. The official records show that a total of 17,18,058 individuals were arrested across the state between April 2016 and March 2026 for violating the state’s prohibition law.
In the first five months of the current year alone, 56,904 people were apprehended. By mid-2025, authorities reported over 6.4 lakh convictions under the law. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has already clarified that prohibition would continue in the state.
