ED searches 10 sites in liquor syndicate's duty-evasion racket

It matters to citizens as it details the enforcement action against a liquor syndicate for evading customs duties and excise taxes through illegal sales of foreign liquor.

Who it concerns: The document concerns the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), the liquor syndicate operating 'The Theka' (owned by Ankush Goyal and partners), foreign liquor suppliers, transporters, Haryana Police, and Excise officials.

What the ED says it did

• ED conducted searches at 10 premises in Delhi-NCR, Haryana, and Punjab on 03.11.2026 and 04.11.2026.
• The investigation targets the illegal sale of foreign liquor without holograms and Track & Trace strips through 'The Theka'.
• The syndicate is alleged to have misused the Bond-to-Bond Transfer system to evade customs duties and excise taxes.
• The syndicate is found to have procured more than 1 lakh bottles of imported foreign liquor between June 2025 and November 2025.
• The illegal sales generated proceeds of crime worth more than Rs. 10 crore, with a profit margin of 20-25%.
• During searches, incriminating documents, digital records, and cash of Rs. 11 Lakh were seized.
• The investigation was initiated based on FIRs registered by Haryana Police following complaints from Excise officials who seized 3,921 cases and 176 loose bottles of liquor without required strips on 09.12.2025.

Also in the document

• The ED states that the liquor syndicate set up separate companies in Haryana and Goa/Maharashtra to obtain customs licenses for the bond-to-bond transfers.
• A separate FIR was registered by Haryana Police against some syndicate members for selling spurious liquor.
• The liquor was diverted from bonded warehouses in Haryana directly to vends in Gurugram instead of designated warehouses in Goa/Maharashtra.