Alcohol Hidden Under Mineral Water Bottles: Massive Liquor Smuggling Racket Busted In Gujarat

Dhandhuka: In a major breakthrough, Dhandhuka police have exposed a liquor smuggling operation that used mineral water bottles as a cover. Acting on a tip-off, authorities intercepted a truck near Limdi Tran Rasta during routine checks and uncovered over 12,000 bottles of foreign liquor and beer camouflaged beneath packaged drinking water.

The consignment, originating from Daman and headed for Dwarka, included 12,144 bottles of alcohol. Police estimate the total value of the seized goods at over ₹46 lakh, including ₹39.39 lakh worth of liquor, ₹1.57 lakh worth of water bottles, and the transport vehicle.

Smugglers had stacked liquor cartons beneath crates of branded Aquafina water bottles to evade detection. Initially, officers believed the truck was transporting only mineral water. However, the driver’s inconsistent answers during questioning raised suspicion. Upon deeper inspection, the hidden liquor stash was discovered.

Police arrested the truck driver, identified as Amra Rabari. Two other key players—Nagabhai Kodiyatar from Ranpar village in Dwarka and an unidentified accomplice from Daman—are currently on the run. Authorities have launched a manhunt to track them down.

Investigators believe the racket is part of a larger smuggling network that sources liquor from Rajasthan, Punjab, and Daman, distributing it illegally across regions like Kathiawar, Gohilwad, and Saurashtra in Gujarat.

This bust comes just weeks after a similar seizure in Morbi, where police confiscated over 14,000 bottles of foreign liquor hidden beneath sacks of peanut husk. That consignment, valued at over ₹1 crore, was being transported from Bhatinda, Punjab, into Gujarat.

These back-to-back operations highlight an alarming trend in cross-state liquor smuggling under creative disguises. Police have intensified checks across key transit routes and vowed to dismantle the entire network.