Thousands of illegal liquor bottles destroyed in Bali
Bali Police destroyed thousands of illicit liquor bottles in Denpasar earlier today, which were kept as evidence collected from a recent island-wide operation exposing unlicensed and illegal alcohol.
“We destroyed the items, some of which were unlicensed alcohol, whose sellers did not carry permits,” Bali Police Chief Petrus Reinhard Golose said, as quoted in a statement.
Bali authorities previously confiscated the items during a weeks-long operation that began in late November and ended on Dec. 8, wherein 205 suspects involved in 178 cases across the island were apprehended. As reported by Tribun Bali, 71 of these cases were related to alcohol.
Among the items that had been confiscated were Balinese arak (liquor made from tuak, a sweet drink from coconuts palm flower), beer and wine bottles, as well as spirits. Police suggested that the items were going to be consumed for the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s Eve holiday.
Petrus also said during the occasion that police will focus on the potential of street crimes occurring in the holiday season, adding that police are working with the Indonesian military and other relevant stakeholders to suppress crime in Bali.
With the holidays coming up, Petrus previously said 12,000 officers will be deployed to secure popular tourist attractions, places of worship, and points of entry in Bali.
