Who's getting busted ??

[crunchman]

I can't imagine very many home distillers getting busted, certaintly have never heard of anyone busted with a 20L kitchen still

but I could be wrong, can someone enlighten me.......?

[Tater]

Had a member here a few years ago have his shed catch fire .Couple of the volunteer fire fighters were also deputy sheriffs .They called atf in and they busted him . His still (beer keg) was set up but wasn't operating.

[goose eye]

yup never keep em on blocks. nock em down an get em gone

so im tole

[crunchman]

I was wondering if they actively persue people through mailing lists,sales,etc I suspect not.

I'm glad my still is a 3- piece so I can stash it.

[Dnderhead]

What Iv seen it is more that that they are pursuing you for something else, (on probation? beating your wife?) and then they fiend the still.
then that is added to the list.of course those that sell or have wild parties are also at risk.

[Tater]

Buddy of mine family owens a supermarket here and law followed him back and checked him when he went to another town and bought a couple pallets of sugar.

[crunchman]

I've seen stories about authorities down south tracking LARGE purchases of sugar or grain, even using planes/helicopters too,

this is big time stuff though, guys selling probably. I guess I'm relatively safe with my 20L still ssshhhh!

[gholl3214]

Hey Folks,

Had a bust in Oregon, USA last weekend. The state police and the liquor control people made the arrests. From the picture I'd say his boiler was about 50 gal. with a 3-4" column. I know some of you folks run some good sized rigs but that seems to be pushing the upper limits to be called a hobby(IMHO).

Also, like mentioned above, the guy was caught with four stolen motorcycles and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The police took his mother into custody as well for possession of heroin and amphetamines. They're probably not going to win family of the year.

G

[Bob421]

Round here (midwest) they use national guard helicopters to look for dope growing and meth labs using infrared/heat detection cameras. Supposedly a patch of marijuana will put off more heat than most other stuff at night. Plus they look for unusual heat signatures coming out of sheds indicating someone is cooking meth. I don't do either of those things but I think I would be just as caught if they came in looking for a meth lab and found a still. Another reason to go electric and run my waste cooling water down a drain.

[crunchman]

Well, I guess we're reasonably safe with 3-10 gal. boilers inside the house or garage for personal use.I've just started and need to

to get some inventory going, the next 3 or 4 runs should set me up nice, I'm only running 3 gals of ferment at a clip.

I guess these narc task forces are pretty aggressive as they keep/use all seizures as operating capital.

As I'm new I wasn't sure as to how "they" viewed the home distiller, I say just run'em smaller and a little more often.

[LWTCS]

I say just run'em smaller and a little more often.

And do not warehouse stolen property and simultaineosly run a meth lab. Or be a convicted fellon and wife beater. Or run a child porno website across the street from the elementary school. All while squeezin a lowly 20 liters of sugar water.

[crunchman]

LOL, Becoming a Felon in the U.S. isn't as hard as it used to be.You got people who are convicted felons

nowadays if you get caught sneaking home from the bar twice in 5/10 yrs you're a Felon, or a couple of pot

busts. Anyway, I know what your saying LW, 'fly under the radar"

[LWTCS]

LOL, Becoming a Felon in the U.S. isn't as hard as it used to be.You got people who are convicted felons

nowadays if you get caught sneaking home from the bar twice in 5/10 yrs you're a Felon, or a couple of pot

busts. Anyway, I know what your saying LW, 'fly under the radar"

Thats true too Crunch,
My best friend an his brother got busted down for not slowing down in the "no wake zone" trying to make it back in time for thanksgiving dinner. Game Warden met up with em back at the boat ramp. They fucked up and got too lippy and the constable put my buddy on the ground. He got frisked and the constable found a little skinning knife my buddy keeps in his wallet. BOOM,, consealed weapon. Boom,, felony charge. Boom night in jail. And with out the cash for the lawyer,,that there is a keeper that stays with you for a while.

[crunchman]

Yeah, it's a shame really.Seems to come down to political expediency and alot of fear mongering.

Appreciate the feedback and help !

[TN.Frank]

Seems to me if you're just running of a quart or two a week and keeping it for your own use that it should be no ones business but your own. Government sticks it nose into people's business way to much today. Main think, keep a low profile, don't talk to people about it and for God sake don't sell any. That's where the taxes come into play and where people get busted by the IRS.

[crunchman]

I read here, "Don't Tell and Don't Sell" sounds like a good motto !

[TN.Frank]

Yep, that's what I say. Keep what you do under your hat and don't sell it.

[blind drunk]

We need a manifesto, something like - "home distillers of the world unite, you've nothing to lose but your chains!" lol, bd

[LWTCS]

U sippin aint'cha?
Cheers BD

[scarecrow]

And do not warehouse stolen property and simultaineosly run a meth lab. Or be a convicted fellon and wife beater. Or run a child porno website across the street from the elementary school. All while squeezin a lowly 20 liters of sugar water.

And all this time you said you would keep our PM's confidential

scarecrow

[ScottishBoy]

A Manifesto you say.....hmmmmmm.

THAT I could start with.

[anuran]

Maybe it shouldn't be any of their business. But every since the Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s they've made it their business.

[UnclePaul]

Here in the good ole US of A they hope to eventually make almost all of us felons...
It's the only legal way they have to take our guns.
And it takes so little to become one...

[Samohon]

Hell, if customs and excise new what went on in my garage...
Here in the UK it's a civil offence to distill. Police are not paid to track down stillers, nor have the power to arrest, but Customs and Excise, thats a different matter...
Maybe one day we'll be able to converse freely on our hobby, but in the meantime I'm backing BD and SBs manifesto plans.
Have a couple of friends who are police, one of them even has a 20L all copper still with worm permenantly displayed and used in the kitchen.

I don't even take my Ginger Wine to the church fate because I use a liittle (14%abv) of my own distilled neutral in it.
Don't Sell and Don't Tell... I'll go with that...

[LWTCS]

Put that on a snuggly soft Egyptian cotton T-shirt

[pistachio_nut]

I've heard that unless you're selling, you're OK.

The exception is people who call attention to themselves in a public way. The ATF can't be expected to ignore flagrant violators.

Otherwise, SSS.

[Husker]

I read here, "Don't Tell and Don't Sell" sounds like a good motto !

Yup (like is said below)

[Bohunk]

Ya know a way around this "no tell policy" is to spend your life savings getting a license, then keep thowing good money after bad to keep the doors open. Then you can holler and shout, and not get into trouble, but that is only the way I did it, not the smart way. I have talked to the feds on more than one occasion about "shiners", they have told me, they know there are a lot of them out there, but they are too busy with legal distilleries to look for shiners. As long as no one makes a fuss or sells their shine, the feds could care less. A fed inspector once asked me where I learned my trade, I looked him right in the eye and said " back in the holler", he laughed and said those old boys back there probable know more than any one about how good shine should be made. You know federal workers, they don't do any more than they have to, they are always over worked and under paid, when I call about a problem they are just too busy to help. How could they have time to catch a lowly old shiner????

The Bohunk

[anuran]

Bohunk, there are about a dozen small distilleries here in Portland. I'm pretty sure that all but one or two of them were 'shiners for years before they got that license.

[demonrichie]

im kinda lucky where i am ive never heard of anyone getting busted for distilling although some are even known as sellers. theres 5 prisons relatively close and theres almost always something more important to deal with. plus i dont think simply personal distilling has nearly the kind of consequences as the states do.