About K20 million worth of smuggled alcoholic beverages were destroyed in Sittwe under the Myanmar Excise Act, according to an official from the Rakhine state government.
The destroyed alcoholic drinks included over 30,000 cans and 6,000 bottles of beer, along with other types of alcohol, U Hla Thein, head of the Rakhine state government’s information team, told Myanmar Business Today.
The products were seized after being brought into Rakhine state from other parts of the country without necessary documents.
“Most alcoholic beverages were seized on the waterway route from Yangon to Rakhine state. We have sentenced some smugglers in line with the Excise Act in 2014. Now we are monitoring the beer and alcohol brought into the Rakhine state to see if it has been officially transported,” said U Hla Thein.
Anti-smuggling mobile teams are deployed by the Ministry of Commerce in every state and region to monitor and conduct surprise inspections, and arrest smugglers of alcohol, beer, cigarettes and food, along with other goods.