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New liquor in old bottle

Foreign brands often mixed up with rectified spirits and recapped

By Shaikh Nazrul Islam
Adulterated foreign liquor is being sold in the city by unscrupulous businessmen.
The liquor Is mixed with rectified spirits or soft drinks, such as Seven-Up or Sprite, and I lien recapped However, some people who visit places selling foreign brands said they can tell the difference, since the alcohol doesn’t taste like the original.
Officials with the Department of Narcotics Control admitted a racket is operating in the city. The department seized a capping machine In 1994. However, the machines are hard to find since they can be hidden in any shanty house or slum in the city.
"We do not nave enough men to fight against organised rackets. said a top official "We have to depend on the police to combat (he drug trade, but we
can’t rely on their help all the time."
The official said the department’s attempts to crackdown on the shops have been futile, since police usually Inform their “clients" about raids before they take place.
In Gulshan and Bananl. about 100 street boys sell alcohol in plain view of the police. One boy said each man pays the police about Tk 1.000 per’week so they can operate. The dealers also bribe the police so they won't be hassled, said the boy.
•During a recent visit to shops, this correspondent found hawkers assure customers they could return the bottles If they thought they were impure.
One street broker said he used to return the alcohol to the dealer II Its quality wasn’t up to the mark. However, he said he
usually sells the real thing to long-term customers, unloading the adulterated liquor on new customers.
Department officials said large quantities of foreign alcohol are imported by the Bangladesh Porjotan Corporation. Some of that alcohol is smuggled into the local market with the help of a section of officials Inside the corporation.
The government lost Tk 5 crore hi duties between 1998 and 1999 due to the theft of duty-free goods from the corporation's warehouses, according to an national Board of Revenue investigation.
The thefts came to lights during an investigation conducted by a special customs squad. They found over 97 per cenL ol entries in Ex-bond bills issued by the corporation were