Police have seized 200 litres of alcohol from the boot of a car in the Northern Territory, under suspicions that it would be delivered to a "dry" remote Indigenous community.
Police found 40 five-litre casks of wine in the back of a Holden Statesman, which was intercepted yesterday on the Stuart Highway, south of Alice Springs.
"There was sufficient grounds to suggest the wine was destined for supply into remote communities and was subsequently seized for destruction," police said in a statement.
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According to police, each five-litre cask can sell on the black market for upwards of $100.
Under alcohol restrictions introduced by the Northern Territory government earlier this year in an attempt to address spiralling crime rates in Alice Springs, remote communities are dry.
This means it is against the law to bring in, possess, consume, sell or supply alcohol in these areas, although it is possible for the community to opt out of the restrictions.
"The secondary supply of alcohol into our vulnerable communities was also a focus and I commend the officers involved in the seizure from yesterday," Superintendent Peter Malley said.
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"Alcohol remains a catalyst for the high rates of domestic violence-related harm and antisocial behaviour we have been seeing across the NT."
The alcohol was seized and destroyed by NT Police.
The driver has not been charged yet, but police say they expect he will be issued an NTA (notice to appear in court) for liquor offences.
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