Excise department intensifies crackdown against ganja, drugs and non-duty paid liquor

The Telangana Prohibition and Excise Department has intensified enforcement against ganja, drugs and non-duty paid liquor as part of its 99-day ‘Progress Plan’ aimed at preventing the illegal substances from entering the State.

As part of the initiative, special enforcement teams have been constituted to conduct raids across Telangana. The teams include four Special Task Force (STF) units of the Enforcement Department, enforcement teams and district-level task force teams which have been tasked with carrying out surveillance and raids. Officials said the operations are aimed at curbing the sale of illegal substances and preventing revenue loss caused by non-duty paid liquor.

Authorities have also identified several locations in and around Hyderabad as hotspots where surveillance and raids will be intensified. These include Dhoolpet, Narayanguda, Fatehnagar, Sitaphalmandi, Neredmet, Serilingampally, Kukatpally, Moosapet, Dilsukhnagar, LB Nagar, Uppal, Nagole, Annojiguda and Muguru slums. In addition, inspections are being increased at railway stations and check posts to monitor the movement of illegal substances.

Officials said non-duty paid liquor is being transported into Telangana in significant quantities from Delhi, Noida, Goa and Haryana. Special drives are being conducted to detect such consignments arriving through airports, trains and roads. In Hyderabad, inspections conducted at the Shamshabad, Saroornagar and Meerpet excise stations led to the seizure of 335 litres of liquor in 43 cases over a two-month period in 2025. During the same year, 3,631 litres of liquor were seized in 337 cases at the three stations. Across Telangana, 16,103 litres of liquor were seized in 1,251 cases.

Enforcement teams seized 565 kg of ganja in raids conducted during 2025, while Special Task Force teams seized 1,346 kg of the contraband during the same period. In Khammam district alone, 185 kg ganja was seized in 23 cases in two months.

Officials said that along with ganja, substances such as OG Kush, MDMA, hashish oil and cannabis laced chocolates were also seized. This apart, 686 cannabis plants were confiscated during the raids.