Excise officials destroy over 49,000 litres of jaggery wash and seize 2,200 litres of illicit liquor in crackdown across Telangana

More than 49,000 litres of fermented jaggery wash used to manufacture illicit liquor has been destroyed and over 2,200 litres of gudumba seized as the Telangana Excise Department intensified a state-wide crackdown on illegal liquor networks.

The department’s 10-day special enforcement drive, launched on June 12 and scheduled to continue till June 21, has already resulted in 606 cases being registered across the State. Officials said action was taken against 475 persons and 79 vehicles were seized during raids conducted over the first seven days of the operation.

The drive is focused on dismantling the production, transportation and sale of gudumba, an illicitly distilled liquor that continues to surface in several districts despite repeated enforcement efforts.

According to Excise officials, enforcement teams seized 2,266 litres of gudumba and destroyed 49,015 litres of jaggery wash, the key raw material used in its manufacture. Another 6,092 kg of jaggery allegedly meant for illicit brewing was also confiscated.

The raids uncovered more than just illegal liquor. Officials seized 310.97 litres of non-duty-paid liquor and recovered 38.56 kg of marijuana and other narcotic substances during the operations.

The intensified drive follows directions from Prohibition and Excise Commissioner C. Harikiran and Enforcement Director Avinash Mohanty, who have instructed field units to target entire supply chains rather than isolated offenders.