Liquor Seizures
Under BC law, liquor inspectors have the authority to seize illicit liquor (liquor not purchased from the Liquor Distribution Branch or manufactured without a licence) from any licensed establishment.
The police also have the authority to seize illicit liquor from any licensed establishment, and they can also seize liquor from private individuals if they believe the liquor is being possessed or sold contrary to the Liquor Control and Licensing Act or its Regulations. This might mean seizing liquor from someone who is selling or drinking it in a public place—at a beach or a street party, for example—or someone who is driving with an open liquor bottle in the car.
If your liquor was seized
If your liquor was seized by the police, the police may have decided either to destroy your liquor immediately, or to keep it in storage for 30 days.
If it was seized by a liquor inspector at a licensed establishment, the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch may immediately destroy the liquor or keep it in storage for 30 days.
In either case, if you believe your liquor was improperly seized and you want to have your liquor returned—or to receive compensation if it was destroyed by the police or the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch—you have 30 days from the time your liquor was seized to apply to the General Manager of the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch. Compensation for destroyed liquor is determined by the retail price of the liquor: how much the Liquor Distribution Branch would charge for it at a BC Liquor Store.
For more information about claiming seized liquor
Please contact the:
Liquor Control and Licensing Branch
Ministry of Housing and Social Development
PO Box 9292 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9J8
Tel: (250) 387-1254 in Victoria
Toll-Free: 1-866-209-2111
E-mail: lclb.lclb@gov.bc.ca
