Mountain explosion traced to hidden moonshine operation

The ground shook in the North Carolina mountains on Monday, Oct. 26, when an explosion tore through a residential area in Wilkes County. State officials later determined the blast originated from a hidden alcohol production site.

Special agents from the state Alcohol Law Enforcement Division responded to the scene. Their investigation uncovered an active, illegal distillery operating out of a 200-gallon setup. The team secured the site and removed the materials used to produce the unregulated liquor.

Officers seized approximately 1,800 gallons of mash, the fermented mixture used in distillation, along with 161 gallons of finished moonshine. The operation had been running without paying state taxes on the alcohol it produced.

Billy Ray Anderson, 69, was taken into custody following the investigation. He faces six charges related to the incident. These include manufacturing and possessing non-taxpaid alcoholic beverages, as well as possessing distillery equipment and ingredients. One count also covers allowing his property to be used for the manufacture of the beverage.

State officials released photographs showing the interior of the metal building where the operation was located. The walls were charred, and the distilling equipment lay in damaged pieces. Anderson was booked into jail, where he will answer to the state for the unlicensed production of spirits.

The discovery ends a local operation that had been blending into the rural landscape. The seizure of nearly 2,000 gallons of raw materials underscores the scale of the clandestine business. Anderson remains in custody as the investigation into the explosion and the illegal manufacturing continues.