Stockpile of moonshine — 200 jars — found in search of North Carolina home, cops say

Enough moonshine to stock the shelves of a country store was found by accident when deputies began searching a home near Lexington, North Carolina, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.

They were looking for a stolen Hyundai Sonata, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Instead, deputies reported discovering more than 200 jars of home brewed liquor, three stolen guns, methamphetamine, marijuana and $2,200 in cash.

The mother lode of contraband turned up Friday, Oct. 28, as deputies executed a search warrant at 420 Ed Byerly Road, officials said. The home is about 65 miles northeast of uptown Charlotte.

One man was arrested and charged with “possession of a stolen vehicle, (three) counts of possession of stolen firearms, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana (and) possession of non-taxpaid alcohol,” officials said.

The 53-year-old suspect is also charged with violating a state law regarding the unauthorized “manufacture, sale, transport, import, deliver furnish, purchase, consume or possess any alcoholic beverages,” the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators did not say if the moonshine was brewed at the home, which is north of Lexington at the end of a rural road.

North Carolina has a long history with the manufacture and sale of moonshine, historians say.

“The secluded stills of the rural South produced the life and legend most associated with moonshine, rising out of places such as ... Wilkes County, N.C. — once the self-proclaimed ‘Moonshine Capital of the World’,” NCpedia reports. “North Carolina’s tradition of auto racing developed in the garages of bootleggers, particularly on the roads between North Wilkesboro and Charlotte.”

This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 7:26 AM with the headline "Stockpile of moonshine — 200 jars — found in search of North Carolina home, cops say."