Police and Excise revel in moonshine

THE number of deaths in the incident of poisoning by consuming illicit liquor at Kekanadura, in the Matara District, has gone up to 14, and could rise even further.

The woman alleged to have sold the illicit brew has been taken into custody. The man behind this massive illicit liquor operation is yet to be arrested. Will the penalty for culpable homicide, manslaughter or whatever else the offence is, be paid by this woman?

Going by the record of most police prosecutions regarding illicit liquor sales, she could be the most likely victim the final link with the public in a powerful network of people engaged in an illicit business.

One learns that the man behind this operation is so powerful that when the police once attempted to raid his moonshine brewery, the operation was called off, and the police officer who attempted to catch the crook was transferred to Vavuniya.

That was during the UNP administration. But, there is nothing to show that such things will not happen under another administration too.

The moonshine or kassippu business is a heavily protected enterprise. Those engaged in it have political clout within the two main political parties. They are supporters of both the UNP and SLFP, and if necessary any other smaller parties or individual politicians too.

Public knowledge

The methods of operation of the kassippu industry are well known to the public. What is best known is that there can be no illicit liquor outlet in any area that functions without the knowledge of the Police of that area, and also the Excise Officers in charge of that area.

I recall an incident over three decades ago when a group of us were returning late at night after a demonstration for media freedom at Bandarawela. Several of us were keen to have gulp of our favourite spirits from the tree. It was after 10 pm and all regular outlets were closed.

We then spotted a police constable at Pelmadulla, and asked him from where we could buy a bottle of our regular hard stuff. He gladly told us precisely where to go, and when we got there brisk sales were on long after closing hours.

That's just one example of the well known links that exist between the police and liquor dealers in general and illicit dealers in particular. We have had recent reports of how policemen, including officers, have gone to liquor outlets closed on Poya days, and demanded that they be served liquor.

One liquor shop owner who refused to give in to such demands was shot to death by policemen. Everyone in a police station from the lowest ranking RPC upwards knows the location of all the illicit hooch dens in the area, the transporters of illicit hooch and very often where the brewing is done.

Hardly anyone complains to the police about the operations of these powerful people, because they fear reprisals and the punishment meted out to such persons can be very violent.

Not all policemen are party to or connive in such activity. There are still some good eggs in the police, but even they are restrained in carrying out proper raids against these open violators of the law, because of the huge political clout these crooks have.

From Ministers of all types to MPs, Members of Provincial Councils and even powerful Pradeshiya Sabha members wield considerable political influence when it comes to protecting kassippu dealers and even drug pushers too, much more than the influence they will even dream of wielding to get a road or culvert repaired or some stinking mountain of garbage removed.

Exciting Excise

If the police make big money and get plenty of booze too by the protection extended to dealers in illicit hooch, the other arm of the law meant to have control over this crooked industry is also not without its own share of excitement.

A former employee of the Excise Department speaking by phone in an interactive programme over "Lakhanda" radio about the illicit liquor industry last Tuesday said that by afternoon each day, most officers of the Excise Department were under the influence of liquor.

There is great credibility in this story. On many occasions we have seen Excise Officers walk into clubs and other liquor outlets and demand their regular drinks from the barmen, who cannot but comply.

They are not known to patronize kassippu dens to imbibe in the spirits available, but they do go within and often come out grinning like a Cheshire cat and a fuller wallet in the pocket.

But, the Kekanadura incident has revealed that some Excise personnel have also been patronizing the purveyors of poisonous liquor.

Similar to the police, the links that Excise Officers have with dealers in liquor, both licit and illicit are well known to the public.

They have for long been observers of this situation where they have no one to complain to when the very arms of the law that are meant to combat this deadly menace are more busy protecting it.

One recalls that Sinhala aphorism, as to who one could complain to if both the fence and bund is eating up the paddy in one's field.

No simple task

Combating the menace of illicit brews is no easy task today. While the Police Department has to clean up its own stables that stink to high heaven, the Commissioner of Excise may have to begin using dogs to sniff out the tipsy officers in his department in the afternoons. He could then go on to breaking their protection rackets outside.

The judiciary too has a role to play in questioning the type of B-reports filed and make some judicious and sharp inquiries about the charges filed by the police against dealers in illicit liquor.

Very often the real crook is not produced but a substitute paid to plead guilty, who either pays the fine or is imprisoned.

The next time a fake raid is carried out on the same place, once again it is not the operator who is charged but yet another of his minions. When the judge inquires if there is a previous conviction, he or she is often a first offender, who gets the least sentence.

It is also no secret that while the Police or Excise seizes a large quantity of illicit hooch in a raid, what they produce in court is only the minimum quantity required to obtain a lesser punishment. Plenty of palms of both the Police and Excise are greased in this process.

It is clear that appeals to the Police and Excise services to enforce the law will not bring results. What is first needed is to remove the political patronage these producers and vendors of poison brews enjoy. This is something that has to come from the very top.

As much as President Mahinda Rajapakse has given targets to his Ministers, he should also warn all of them (with no MPs being left) that any sign of political obstruction of the Police or Excise in dealing with illicit liquor will not be countenanced, as well as any patronage extended to those engaged in this deadly and crooked industry.

This should be so for the top ranks of the Police and Excise too. If the President's whip does crack hard a few times and some are hurt, we can hope for a chance for Mahinda Chintana to operate effectively in combating this social cancer.