Police raided a farm in Uppland in central Sweden on Wednesday and seized a large quantity of illegal moonshine. The farm, located outside of Östervåla north of Uppsala, was vacated when the police arrived to find over 100 litres of moonshine in various plastic containers. Police also seized equipment that was in service making another batch.The raid was the result of a dedicated operation by a new group formed by local police forces in Uppland to tackle the spread of narcotics in the area. "The group works against current problems with a goal-focused approach based on intelligence. This enables us to focus on an investigation without being called off for traffic duty or the like," Bertil Carlsson at Tierp police told The Local. "The group was set up to mostly target narcotics but we deemed this case relevant."
Carlsson told The Local that although once a common problem in most areas of central and northern Sweden, moonshine production is on its way out. "Smuggled spirits have largely taken over. They just drive a big van down to Germany or over to Finland instead. Illegal liquor remains a big problem," Carlsson said.
The man in question has not yet been arrested but has been called in for questioning, Carlsson confirmed. Home distilling is a crime that can carry a penalty of up to two years imprisonment. Those found guilty can also become liable for income tax.