The Excise department claimed to have identified continued flow of illicit liquor into the district despite repeated crackdowns.The agency registered 131 cases in the district under the Abkari Act from August 1 to 27 over alleged illegal manufacturing, sales and trafficking of liquor during the special enforcement drive during the Onam season.The highlight of the special drive, according to Excise officials, was the reported seizure of 1,248 litres of illicit spirit from Kothakulangara in Angamaly in the first week of the month. Two persons, Santosh, 57, of North Paravur and Ratheesh, 40, of Chathannoor in Kollam, were arrested in connection with the seizure. It followed the reported confiscation of nearly 7,000 litres of spirit from Payyannur, according to the officials.The traffickers were reportedly planning to bottle and sell it as Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) by diluting and adding colour to it. The paraphernalia for bottling was also seized from the now-defunct hollow bricks manufacturing unit where the spirit was stored, an Excise official said.According to investigators, the spirit seized from Angamaly was meant to make nearly 3,000 litres of illicit liquor as at least 2.25 litres of the drink could be made from one litre of spirit. “The traffickers wanted to brand it as cheap liquor costing around ₹500 for a 750-ml bottle. The target customers were those from the low-income group, the official said.The Excise drive also reportedly resulted in the seizure of 350 litres of IMFL procured for illegal sales and 15 litres of defence liquor from different parts of the district. Published - August 29, 2026 01:13 am IST