On the illusory legality of producing strong alcoholic beverages "for personal use". Commented by Senior District Police Inspector Umpirovich Anatoly Iosifovich
Some citizens mistakenly believe that producing moonshine for personal needs or in small quantities is not prohibited by law. However, this is a myth.
Article 13.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses establishes administrative responsibility for the production of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine) by individuals, semi-finished products for their production (mash), as well as the storage of devices used for their production. Committing these actions entails the imposition of an administrative penalty in the form of a fine of up to five basic units with the confiscation of the specified beverages, semi-finished products, and devices.
Moreover, for the repeated commission of the aforementioned actions within a year after the imposition of an administrative penalty for similar violations, as well as for the production by an individual of more than five liters of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), more than thirty liters of semi-finished products for their production (mash), or storage of more than thirty liters of such semi-finished products, an administrative penalty in the form of a fine of five to thirty basic units will be imposed, along with the confiscation of the specified beverages, semi-finished products, and devices.
As can be seen from the above provisions of the administrative law, the quantity of moonshine and mash only affects the qualification of the actions and the amount of the administrative penalty.
In addition, the acquisition of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine) is punishable, except for those whose sale is permitted by law, as well as the acquisition of semi-finished products for their production (mash), for which a penalty of up to five basic units may be imposed with the confiscation of the specified beverages (part 3 of Article 13.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus).
For the purposes of administrative responsibility, strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine) are understood to be alcoholic beverages with an ethanol content of 28 percent or more, produced by individuals through fermentation of raw materials and subsequent distillation.
Currently, it is not difficult to acquire equipment, such as the now-popular "household distiller," which can be used for producing moonshine, and it is not prohibited by law. However, it should be remembered that the storage of such devices used "for unintended purposes" is subject to administrative responsibility under the law.
Therefore, if you have the thought of acquiring such a device and engaging in moonshine production, remember that you risk receiving a fine with the confiscation of the device itself and the products produced with its help (moonshine), and semi-finished products (mash).
In 2022, the court of the Braslav district considered 11 cases of administrative offenses provided for by Article 13.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus, which were subjected to administrative responsibility.
From the above, it follows that the desire to enrich oneself through the production of moonshine with its subsequent sale can lead to much more significant financial losses, exceeding the "planned earnings," and leave a stain on one's biography…
Therefore, the answer to the question: "Is it possible to produce moonshine?" is obvious: "No!"
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