The Excise department on Tuesday arrested the kingpin of a major liquor smuggling racket involved in transporting large quantities of Goan liquor to Kerala. The arrest was made at Honnavar in Karnataka after a prolonged manhunt.
The accused is Radhakrishna S. Kammath, 61, of Karwar, Karnataka. He is the main accused in the 2023 case in which 2,484 litres of Goan liquor were seized at the Manjeswaram check post. He had been absconding since the issuance of a warrant by a Kasaragod court.
Excise officials said the arrest was made after sustained surveillance, with the assistance of the Honnavar police. A team led by Excise inspector K.V. Shravan apprehended the accused in front of his house. He is suspected to be a key link in smuggling liquor from Goa and Karnataka into Kerala.
The accused was produced in the Kasaragod Judicial First Class Magistrate Court 1 on Monday evening and was remanded in custody till February 11.
Published – February 03, 2026 07:15 pm IST
