Now liquor smuggled through sea: Customs seize boat with IMFL worth ₹50 lakh off Valsad coast, 8 held

Officers of the Ahmedabad Customs, under the Customs Division in Valsad, intercepted a suspected boat off the Kolak coastline and seized a large consignment of Indian-made liquor valued at approximately ₹50 lakh, officials said on Thursday.

The operation was carried out during routine sea patrolling by the Customs Division, Valsad. According to officials, a suspicious boat was spotted heading towards the Valsad coast, prompting officers to intercept it near Kolak in Valsad district.

Upon inspection, the team recovered 555 boxes containing a total of 18,672 bottles of Indian-made liquor. Preliminary investigations suggest that the consignment was being smuggled from the Union Territory of Daman into Gujarat, where prohibition laws are in force.

Customs officials said that while there is no customs duty applicable on Indian-made liquor, the transportation and sale of alcohol in Gujarat are strictly regulated under state prohibition laws. Consequently, the seized consignment, along with the intercepted boat and eight alleged bootleggers, were handed over to the jurisdictional police.

The entire seizure was transferred to the Police Inspector of Pardi Police Station, along with a panchnama and inventory of the goods for further legal proceedings under the relevant provisions of state law.

Officials confirmed that all 555 boxes of liquor have been formally handed over to the Gujarat Police, and further investigation into the smuggling network is currently underway.