Bhubaneswar, 16 January (H.S.): On 27th day of the on-going special enforcement drive, the Excise Department seized contraband worth ₹2.14 crore and destroyed hemp worth ₹30 lakh. With this, the outcomes of the statewide Special Enforcement Drive conducted from December 20, 2025 to January 15, 2026 stood at 6,090 cases and seizure of contraband valued at ₹31.28 crore, destruction of hemp worth ₹17.72 crore. The drive resulted in 2,756 arrests and seizure of 314 vehicles.

During the campaign, the Department booked 158 cases under the NDPS Act. Seizures included 2,72,832 bulk litres of illicitly distilled liquor, 10,827 bulk litres of duty-paid liquor, and 1,557 litres of duplicate foreign liquor, indicating continued activity in both illicit production and counterfeit supply chains.

A key focus of the drive was disruption of production bases. Enforcement teams destroyed 24,54,108 bulk litres of fermented wash and 3,17,720 kg of gur wash on the spot, pointing to large-scale illicit liquor manufacturing. Raw materials such as 7,374 kg of mahua flowers were also seized, highlighting upstream supply chains.

Narcotics recoveries during the period included 2,291 kg of ganja, 4,844 grams of brown sugar, 316 kg of bhang, and 166 litres of cough syrup. In addition, the Department booked 18 cases relating to the illegal cultivation of hemp plants.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda