PANJIM: Liquor smuggling from Goa has become a huge headache for various States in India. The mafia operations have spread tentacles right upto Gujarat in North and Kerala in South India. The illegalities have reached to such an extent that it has forced the Maharashtra Excise Minister to warn of slapping MCOCA and forced the Karnataka Chief Minister to set a massive target for Excise Duty collection to contain the revenue leakage, especially from the liquor coming from Goa. But does the illegal business that runs into thousands of crores happen without patronage?
First, the Maharashtra Minister Shambhuraj Desai warned of slapping MCOCA on anyone who smuggles even one bottle of liquor from Goa to Maharashtra.
Now, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah has ordered the Enforcement agencies to keep a close watch on the illegal movement of liquor in the border areas of the State, especially from Goa while setting an Excise Duty collection target of Rs 36,000 crore for his State.
Illegal transportation of liquor continued from Goa even as ministers and heads of Karnataka and Maharashtra sent warnings suggesting an operation of a major inter-state organised racket that is making crores at the cost of the exchequers of all the States.
After the Karnataka Chief Minister moved against smuggling, Opposition Leader Yuri Alemao said, “It is loud and clear that the BJP government deliberately turned a blind eye on transportation of illegal liquor to Karnataka when the BJP government was ruling there. Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant ignored the loss to the State exchequer to help the liquor mafia patronised by the then BJP government in Karnataka.”
Stakeholders in the liquor industry said that the trail of illegal smuggling of liquor cannot operate without high political patronage.
The President of All Goa Liquor Traders Association Dattaprasad Naik says, “All the smuggling that is happening is at the factory level. There is an Excise Inspector posted in each factory. How is the stock going outside in the presence of an Inspector?”
“Labels of distilleries pasted on the seized liquor give out all the details. What checks and actions are being taken against the distillery and the excise inspector at the units indulged in malpractices?” he asked.
Naik said, “No action is being taken against factories and the inspector, probably the inspector and higher-ups are getting kickbacks.”
The problem however seems to be much deeper as there are illegal and duplicate liquor manufacturing units operating in Goa. A team of Gujarat Police had arrived in Goa to investigate the Gujarat-Goa inter-State liquor smuggling racket case. The team raided some places in Canacona and Honda in Sattari taluka and tried to trace one accused Ligorio D’Souza from Canacona involved in this racket but wasn't successful. He is purportedly the main supplier of liquor to Gujarat. (According to PI Canacona Chandrakant Gawas to a local news website on Sept 10)
The Crime Branch of Gandhidham upon grilling one of the arrested persons had revealed the name of Ligorio D’Souza. Surprisingly, he had already been arrested in 2010 for running an illegal liquor manufacturing unit in Goa. (According to the website quoting the Gujarat Police Sub Inspector BS Jala attached to Gandhidham B Division).
Goa-smuggled liquor: Raising the bar
Maharashtra Minister Shambhuraj Desai warned of slapping MCOCA on anyone who smuggles even one bottle of liquor from Goa
Karnataka CM Siddharamaiah has set an annual Excise Duty collection target of Rs 36,000 crore
States warn of an organised inter-state smuggling gang focused only on smuggling out liquor from Goa
Gujarat-Goa inter-State liquor smuggling case team recently raided some places in Canacona and Honda to trace one accused Ligorio D’Souza from Canacona involved in this racket but wasn't successful. (According to PI Canacona Chandrakant Gawas to a local news website on Sept 10)
He is purportedly the main supplier of liquor to Gujarat. The Crime Branch of Gandhidham had revealed the name of Ligorio D’Souza. He has also already been arrested in 2010 for running an illegal liquor manufacturing unit in Goa. (According to the website quoting the Gujarat Police Sub Inspector BS Jala, attached to Gandhidham B Division)
The root of the racket is Excise Inspectors posted at factories
All the smuggling that is happening is at the factory level. There is an Excise Inspector posted in each factory. How is the stock going outside in the presence of an Inspector?
Labels of distilleries pasted on the seized liquor give out all the details.
What checks and actions are being taken against the distillery and the Excise inspector at the units indulged in malpractices?
—Dattaprasad Naik, President of All Goa Liquor Traders Association
CASES OF GOA LIQUOR IN NEIGHBOURING STATES
KARNATAKA: The excise department (police and forest department officials) seized over 32,000 litres of alcohol entering Karnataka from Goa over the last four months. The seized liquor is worth more than Rs 2 crore and the police have also impounded 60 vehicles involved in the smuggling of liquor from Goa.
ANDHRA PRADESH: Four persons were arrested by the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) in Andhra Pradesh for smuggling 55 cases of liquor from Goa. The operation was launched against some people selling liquor from Goa in the Rompicherla area of Palnadu district.
MAHARASHTRA: The Pune Region Excise Dept has confiscated foreign liquor including beer worth Rs 65.90 lakh, along with a container truck estimated to be worth Rs 86 lakh near Somatane Phata toll booth in Talegaon Dabhade on March 11. The raiding team members found that the container had 854 boxes of various international brands of liquor and beer. The seized material can only be manufactured and sold in Goa. (Source for the Maharashtra info- HT)