Large illegal moonshine operation uncovered in Hancock County

KILN, MS (WLOX) - One of the largest moonshine busts in the Magnolia State in many years happened on Tuesday in Hancock County.

If you drove all the way to the dead end of Hubert Dedeaux Road in the Kiln, you would see an unassuming shed sitting next to some bales of hay and various vehicles.

Upon further inspection, Alcoholic Beverage Control Agents found that it was one of the largest, most sophisticated illegal moonshine operations discovered in the state of Mississippi in several years.

The agents uncovered the still that includes 20 barrels of mash, the fermenting material used to make the moonshine, four 55-gallon drums of finished moonshine, plus 75 more gallon jugs of the stuff, plus hundreds of pounds of raw materials including corn and sugar.

"Especially a large operation, it takes basically a good location that's hidden. We've worked this particular case for several months and it's a very well hidden location," said Kurt Alexander, ABC Agent. "They need lots of sugar, corn, clean running water, stuff like that is usually what they use when manufacturing. We've heard in some places it would be around 50 dollars a gallon. We've heard down here it's around 20 dollars a gallon," he said.

So far, there have been no arrests, but agents do have a person of interest that they are questioning. Possession of untaxed whiskey is a misdemeanor. Distilling is a felony.

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