Law enforcement officers of the Gomel region seized more than 4.5 thousand liters of moonshine and home brew in 4 months

Photo by the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee

June 3, Gomel. Law enforcement officers of the Gomel region seized more than 4.5 thousand liters of moonshine and home brew in 4 months, BelTA learned from the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Gomel regional executive committee.

According to Andrey Maiseykov, HEAD of the Department of Law Enforcement and Prevention of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee, for 4 months of this year, the region's Department of Internal Affairs withdrew 4,568 liters of moonshine, home brew and counterfeit alcoholic beverages from illegal circulation. Also, law enforcement officers seized 16 moonshine stills, 87 violators were brought to administrative responsibility under Article 13.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Belarus.

One of the recent cases: the police received operational information that a resident of the village of Podlyadichi, Mozyr district, sells moonshine. When inspecting the house of a 42-year-old man, law enforcement officers found 300 liters of moonshine mash. it was stored in three barrels. An administrative process has been initiated against a villager for the illegal manufacture of semi-finished products for the manufacture of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine). Last year, he was already prosecuted for a similar offense.

As law enforcement officers specified, the sanctions of Part 1 of Article 13.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses provide for a fine of up to 5 basic units with confiscation of the indicated drinks, semi-finished products and devices. The same acts committed repeatedly within a year after the imposition of an administrative penalty for the same violations, as well as the production by an individual of more than 5 liters of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), more than thirty liters of semi-finished products for their manufacture (mash) or storage of more than 30 liters of such semi-finished products entail the imposition of a fine in the amount of 5 to 30 basic units with confiscation of the said drinks, semi-finished products and devices.

The Department of Internal Affairs also reminded that the purchase of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), with the exception of those whose sale is permitted by law, as well as the purchase of semi-finished products for their manufacture (mash) entail a fine of up to 5 basic units with confiscation of these drinks.