liquor chocolates prohibited in Maharashtra

Bought a bar of imported liquor chocolates or made some of these chocolates at home? You may be an offender, according to the law.As per Maharashtra Officials the present state excise and prohibition regime in Maharashtra does not permit manufacture, sale and possession of chocolates containing alcohol due to the possibility of them being accessed by minors.

In a major crackdown, the state excise department last week seized imported liquor chocolates weighing 46.5kg and worth ₹4.31 lakh from locations in and around Mumbai. Officials said the present state excise and prohibition regime in Maharashtra does not permit manufacture, sale and possession of chocolates containing alcohol due to the possibility of them being accessed by minors.

In December 2019, a similar raid at Crawford Market had led to liquor chocolates worth ₹18,000 being seized. In 2012, a 53-year-old chocolatier, Preeti Chandrayani, at Worli was raided and detained by the state excise department for making chocolates containing alcohol at home. Chandrayani was detained for possessing around 20 bottles of alcohol without permit, and boxes of chocolates.

On August 23, 2021, based on a tip-off, a team of state excise officials led by inspectors Santosh Jagdale and Prasad Sasturkar raided a shop at Crawford Market where these chocolates, which had been imported from Denmark, were being sold. Some of these chocolates were retailed at prices as high as ₹1,650 for 12 pieces weighing 187 grams. A total of 175 packets were seized and one person taken into custody.