Says Rakesh Mohan, executive director, Mohan Meakin Ltd: "When one state in five wet states goes dry, what happens is that a substantial part of business, and with it revenue, shifts to adjoining states." Liquor from five states bordering Andhra Pradesh—Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu—continues to flow into it. An ordinary IMFL brand costs anything between Rs 300 and Rs 500, while the premium brands sell for between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500. Liquor bottles bearing the ‘for sale’ marking or the excise stamp of neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra states are in circulation. While the trickle comes in through suitcases and jute bags in trains and buses, the flow is through trucks. The deal between smugglers and excise officials is straight: for every four to five truckloads, the proceeds of one truck go to the officials. Says Deepak Roy, managing director, International Distillers (India) Ltd: "In Gujarat liquor is freely available with the neighbourhood paanwala . It is probably the state with the highest consumption rate."