Bhubaneswar: Odisha Excise officials have seized 46,218 bulk litres of illicit liquor and 931 kg of ganja and arrested 470 persons in 958 cases in the first five days of a statewide crackdown as the festival season has got underway.
Between October 10 and 14, the department also seized 135 grams of heroin, 25.4 litres of codeine-based cough syrup, 39 litres of duplicate foreign liquor and 795 kg of Mahua flowers. A total of 62 vehicles allegedly used in the offences were seized.
Of the 958 cases registered, 25 were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The arrested persons have been forwarded to court.
The special enforcement drive, launched October 10, will continue until October 31. It targets the manufacture, possession, storage, sale, transportation and smuggling of illicitly distilled liquor, non-duty-paid and duplicate liquor, spirit, narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and other contraband.
The department has intensified surveillance and enforcement across the State to curb the circulation of illicit liquor and narcotics during the festival season.