Kathmandu, September 26 Police carried out coordinated raids on a half dozen taverns in Jadibuti areas and confiscated more than 100 litres of hooch. With this, the number of taverns and illegal brewing outlets raided by the Metropolitan Police Office has reached more than 130 in the Kathmandu Valley in the past one year. An official said the law enforcement agency has stepped up its crackdown on the source of bootleg liquor and taverns selling it . “At least 20,000 litres of hooch and a huge cache of utensils used for brewing home-made liquor have been confiscated during the period,” he said. Brewers often use raw materials unfit for human consumption, chemicals and animal body parts to manufacture hooch. Production, supply and consumption of hooch is rampant in the Valley. Police said their crackdown was in response to a request from the Inland Revenue Office and increase in hooch-related crimes. Bootleggers do not pay tax, but supply huge quantities of liquor to the market. Hooch trade is rife in Bouddha, Swoyambhu, Kalopul, Ratopul, Balaju, Koteshwor and the outskirts of Kathmandu, especially Tinthana, Jorpati, Sundarijal, Bishnu Budhanilkantha, Chapali Bhadrakali and Manamaiju, police said. Health officials have repeatedly warned people against consuming home-brewed tainted liquor, saying its impact on health could be disastrous. Being cheaper than licensed liquor, illicit brew is mostly consumed by low-income groups. According to doctors, methyl alcohol are often used to spike local brew to increase its potency.