To Curb Illegal Transport of Liquor, Maha Govt to Slap MCOCA If Caught Bringing Booze from Goa

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The state excise minister Shambhuraj Desai has instructed its department officials to draft proposals against smugglers and send them to the police administration to invoke the MCOCA against them

Now bringing liquor into Maharashtra from Goa can land you in trouble with the formulation of a new rule by the state excise department. As per it, people siphoning liquor into the state would face stringent action under various sections of the Maharashtra Control Of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) which is usually invoked in crimes committed by groups of criminals on record.

According to a report by the Times of India, the state excise minister Shambhuraj Desai has instructed its department officials of Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts to draft proposals against smugglers and send them to the police administration to invoke the MCOCA against them. He has also asked the authorities to set up temporary, portable checkpoints on the smaller routes connecting Goa and Sindhudurg which usually remain unattended due to difficult terrain.

This comes amidst a rise in the cases of Illegal transport of liquor from Goa into Maharashtra. As per reports, there has been an increase in the number of such crimes as well as an increase in the quantity of liquor confiscated, either by chasing the vehicles or by stopping them at checkpoints.

Talking to TOI regarding this issue, Kolhapur’s excise superintendent, Ravindra Awale said that the officials will be setting up portable cabins along the unattended roads along difficult terrain and also assured that applying MCOCA will help bring down the number of cases.

According to media reports, this transporting liquor across borders started during the Covid-19 pandemic when most of Maharashtra, including its liquor shops, were shut down prompting people to sneak liquor into Maharashtra from Goa. It is believed that some have continued with the practice.

Permits are often given to visitors by liquor shop owners in Goa to carry liquor bottles to their respective states by road. Its validity, however, is valid only in a few states and UTs. However, the authorities have claimed that these permits have zero value as not even a single bottle of liquor from Goa can be brought into Maharashtra by law.

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