Gujarat’s crackdown on liquor smuggling intensified with a high-stakes interception in Ahmedabad, where police unearthed nearly 11,000 bottles of foreign alcohol hidden beneath helmets in a truck’s cargo. The Narol operation not only netted valuables worth over ₹84 lakh but also exposed the lengths smugglers go to challenge the state’s dry policy.
Surveillance by the PCB squad at SP Ring Road’s Aslali Circle paid off late Sunday when the truck was halted near Sainath Parking. Inspectors found 10,749 bottles—valued at ₹63.86 lakh—tucked under 1,053 helmets worth ₹5.25 lakh. The vehicle, cash, and a phone rounded out the seizures.
The perpetrator, 38-year-old Joni Baldevsingh Chandel of Hawani, Mandi, was detained. The shipment traced back to Chandigarh, bound illegally for Junagadh. Officers are grilling him on network connections. This tactic, designed for routine inspections’ blind spots, was foiled by sharp vigilance.
As collaborations expand to trace accomplices, context from prior raids emerges. In October 2025, Solah police grabbed ₹30.9 lakh in booze disguised as drugs near Gota Bridge, arresting two Punjab men. Vadodara’s September sweep confiscated ₹44.93 lakh from a pickup. Such repeated successes signal escalating enforcement, deterring would-be offenders and safeguarding Gujarat’s prohibition ethos.