Liquor, drugs worth crores seized in Ahmedabad, Surat: Govt

Gandhinagar: Enforcement agencies in Gujarat seized Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 10.71 crore and drugs valued at Rs 3.87 crore in Ahmedabad in 2025, the state govt informed the state assembly on Wednesday. In Surat, IMFL worth Rs 6.63 crore and narcotics valued at Rs 13.29 crore were seized during the same period.The figures were shared in response to queries raised by Congress MLAs Amit Chavda and Shailesh Parmar, who sought details on liquor and drug seizures in Ahmedabad and Surat, the number of accused arrested and absconding, and action taken against police personnel for alleged dereliction of duty.
In a written reply, deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi stated that 24,793 persons were arrested over the past year for involvement in the liquor trade or drug peddling, while 316 accused remain absconding.Sanghavi described the performance of state law enforcement agencies in curbing liquor and drug-related offences as "commendable". He added that disciplinary action had been taken against 40 officers and 574 constables in the past year through measures such as inter-district transfers, suspension and fines.Raising the issue of prohibition, Congress MLA Amit Chavda asked whether the law was being enforced effectively in the state. "I want to know from the deputy chief minister whether the prohibition law is in force in the state. Also, while there are prescribed rules for penalizing lower-ranked cops for their role in liquor prevalence, is the govt intent on formulating such rules for higher ranked police officials?" he asked.Responding to this, Sanghavi said Gujarat police's efforts against liquor and narcotics were strong and consistent. "It is because the law is in force that the Gujarat ATS has conducted daring operations with Central forces to apprehend narcotics consignments. In several cases, the ATS has seized narcotics that were not even intended to be landed in Gujarat," he said.Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar, however, pointed out that the govt's own data showed an increase in IMFL seizures over the past year. "While the govt has provided figures of seized liquor, it will have to admit that liquor is being consumed in the state," he said.