Excise raids from January to August 2009:

Govt nets Rs 100m

Rasika Somarathna

Sri Lankan illicit liquor distillers, wholesale and retail dealers, banned drugs and tobacco abusers and consumers together paid more than Rs. 100 million to the State coffers in fines, within the first seven months of this year. They were apprehended in more than 26,000 raids launched by the Sri Lanka Excise Department.

This record revenue earned through Excise Department raids includes Rs.100.4 million, by way of fines imposed by Courts on apprehended violators under the existing Excise Ordinance and another Rs. 7.2 million imposed by the Commissioner General of Excise as mediation fines on offences committed by Licensed dealers.

The figures exclude the number of violators arrested by the Police Department and the subsequent fines imposed.

The alcohol industry in Sri Lanka is characterized by the dominance of illicit liquor and according to figures available one year back this form of liquor accounted for almost 65 percent of the market share. The legalized hard and soft liquor accounted for the rest.

Several years back, Sri Lanka’s per capita consumption of alcohol at 8.25 litres per annum was considered as one of the highest in the world.

The reason attributed for this factor was the very high consumption of hard liquor (35 percent alcohol) which was considered to be in the range of 95 percent.

Although, exact figures for 2009 are not available, according to Excise spokesman Prabath Jayawickrema the consumption ratio and the amount of illicit liquor generated and sold is coming down in a big way.

In addition to several factors, Jayawickrema yesterday attributed the success of his department in curbing illicit liquor/tobacco and drugs abuse to the aggressive approach taken by sleuths, in implementing the legislative provisions related to abuse of excise rules and regulations, under the directions of Department head D.G.M.V. Hapuarachchi.

Jayawickrema said the Mathata Thitha program envisioned in the Presidential manifesto Mahinda Chinthana and new laws in addition to enhanced awareness campaigns had added a new impetus to efforts at combating the menace. According to data in comparison to 2007, the production of local liquor has slightly decreased during 2008.

A total number of 50,087,293.73 litres of arrack produced locally in 2007 had reduced to 45,910,161.38 litres by 2008.

Compared with 2005 figures, the importation of foreign liquor has also decreased during 2006. In 2005, 1,311,734.000 litres of foreign liquor had been imported to Sri Lanka but this quantity had dropped to 1,270,643.000 litres in 2006.

According to health authorities around 40,000 people die in Sri Lanka annually due to smoking and alcohol related health complications, which is on par with the deaths occurred due to the tsunami in 2004.

According to the Excise spokesman, from January 1 to July 31, a total of 23,116 convictions related to illicit liquor violations had taken place. Also 2,769 convictions had taken place under the dangerous Drugs Control Act with another 917 under the Tobacco and Alcohol Act.

During the period sleuths had seized 97,015 litres of moonshine, 264,535 litres of illegal spirits/alcohol, 3,205 kg of Cannabis and 699 grams of heroin. In addition they had also destroyed 787,161 Cannabis plants.

According to Excise sources in addition to the effects of the Mathata Thitha program, banning of smoking/liquor use in public places under the present regime, the heavy fines introduced through the increase of fines Act No. 12 of 2005 and the introduction of National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act.No.27 of 2006 appear to have acted as deterrents.

The Excise spokesman said under the direction of Commissioner General of Excise, the Department had intensified raids to nab offenders. Specially trained teams have been deployed in identified hot spots in addition to strengthening the regional branches, he added.