Moonshiners Season2 Ep05

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Transcript

00:00This time, on Moonshiners...

00:03That's supposed to be a creek right around here.

00:06You know, I'm out here sweating.

00:08Ticker should be out here helping me.

00:10I don't see water flowing through this stream.

00:12I see money flowing through the stream.

00:14He's gonna get into something over his head.

00:16Push!

00:17Josh, you got to pick up further.

00:19Aah!

00:20I'm walking away for a little while,

00:22because I'm about to get...

00:24We can't bend!

00:26We really need this to be a high-proof bag.

00:29If not, we're back to square one.

00:31Long time of running, I ain't never off guard.

00:35I just keep my eyes open.

00:39And one Moonshiner goes down.

00:44Fire!

00:46Moonshine is a part of our history.

00:48It exists, but it doesn't.

00:50Almost like a myth.

00:52I'm America's most wanted Moonshiner.

00:54Ha-ha-ha!

00:56That's not a good thing.

00:58It's not a good thing to be wanted by the law.

01:03I live on the edge of anarchy.

01:07It's very hard to catch Moonshiners.

01:09Get out of there.

01:10They're smart.

01:12There can only be one chief.

01:14I'm wondering if we're gonna pull this thing off.

01:16Uh-oh.

01:19I golly, that's good.

01:24We could supply the whole world with Moonshine,

01:26and we'd all be happy.

01:29If you really love your country,

01:31you're gonna have to love Moonshine.

01:35Across southern Appalachia,

01:37a deadly storm has wreaked havoc on Moonshine country.

01:45In its aftermath, two rookie Moonshiners

01:48have had their underground still site demolished.

01:50Oh, my God.

01:52Did that really happen?

01:54Sir, that really happened.

01:56This is the worst-case scenario right here.

01:59Oh, my God.

02:01That's not good.

02:05The Plum Hollow Music Festival is now just two days away.

02:105,000 people are expected to arrive,

02:13and police and security will be crawling all over the site.

02:19I had a lot of setbacks.

02:21I actually felt like we were getting some,

02:23and then I come back to work, and my project's collapsed.

02:26I just don't know how much more of this I can stand.

02:29I'm ready for something to go right.

02:31The rain's messed us up, that's for sure.

02:36There's more rain coming. The sky's turning black.

02:39Now I know how Barney felt.

02:42It's been raining about two days, ain't met up a bit.

02:45About to wash everything away down here,

02:47so I got to get going or I'm gonna lose everything I got.

02:50The last underground still that Barney had,

02:53it flooded out the entire underground still site

02:56and ruined everything.

02:58After that, Barney lost his ump.

03:07There's nothing easy about Moonshiner.

03:12200 kilometres to northeast,

03:14veteran Moonshiners Jeff, Mark and Jim Tom

03:17are heading back into the woods

03:19to assess the damage from last night's storm.

03:22Last night, we actually had to abandon the still site

03:25on account of the storm. I'd never had to do that before.

03:34In my opinion, when you get it started, it's done.

03:39But when Mother Nature runs you off, you got to go.

03:44The rain seeped into the mash and diluted the alcohol content,

03:48causing an unusually low proof.

03:51According to that, it ain't too high.

03:54This could mean $3,000 down the drain.

03:59They'll soon find out what hand Mother Nature has dealt them.

04:04My limb fell out and hit a spill.

04:06Yeah, it dented pretty good right here.

04:10If the still is destroyed, they'll have to start all over again.

04:14I believe it'll be OK.

04:16Jeff, if you hadn't of welded that,

04:19we wouldn't even have a furnace.

04:21They need to salvage their half-brewed run from the night before.

04:25I worried all night long that what was on this run

04:28put us further behind.

04:30How's the water?

04:32Oh, Lord, our water's gone, damn.

04:35That ain't near enough to cool this thing.

04:37Without it, they're at a standstill.

04:40We don't need to further behind.

04:42We need to get caught back up.

04:44I'll go check it out and see what's going on up there.

04:47If it's a total loss, we could lose customers

04:50and we lose our finances to get my horse filled.

04:54Nearby, in the county police headquarters...

04:59..it's a good day for Deputy Sheriff Chuck.

05:04This is Chuck, Sheriff's Officer.

05:06Yeah, I'll be there in about 15. Usual place will be fine.

05:09He's just got the strongest lead he's received all season.

05:12The informant, or CI,

05:14has tipped him off to a big-time moonshine distributor.

05:18I've just got to get my horse filled.

05:22I've just received a call from the CI.

05:24We both have some information for him.

05:26We're going to go meet with him and see what he's got.

05:29It may be somebody that you've had dealings with

05:32on a minor violation, and instead of charging that person,

05:35you may actually use them, try to get something bigger out of them.

05:38This confidential informant that called me today,

05:41I've actually got the rest off of his information for him,

05:44so he has proven reliable.

05:46But it makes a lot of difference when you're making a case.

05:51Johnson County, North Carolina.

05:55A moonshiner is under siege.

05:59To other shiners, he's known only as Moonshiner X.

06:03He's trying to assemble a vast moonshining empire

06:06so he's asked for his identity to be concealed.

06:11In any given season, Moonshiner X could potentially pull down

06:15to $200,000, or tax-free.

06:22But with the season nearly halfway over

06:24and limited supplies due to a nationwide drought,

06:27he's in the crosshairs of every lawman in the region.

06:30And he doesn't have a dime to show for it.

06:33Up until the last couple of weeks, we had a real dry summer,

06:36so a lot of the produce, you're making brandies that get hit hard.

06:40We had a shortage on produce this year.

06:43Blueberry prices are up.

06:45Hell, even corn, you know, corn liquor used to do dirt cheap,

06:48but now the price of corn's gone up,

06:50and that'll reflect in the moonshine cost, too.

06:53I only got into the moonshine because I valued the tradition of it.

06:57If you're in it for the profits, then you can make some money.

07:00It's a lot of work.

07:01Even though it's illegal, you want to make a quality product,

07:04so the time it takes you to mash and to get things prepared for a run,

07:09you spend the same amount of time looking over your shoulder,

07:12making sure you're not going to get caught.

07:15Meanwhile, back in Graham County,

07:17Mark and Jim Tom continue to clean up the still site.

07:22This wood's wet. I'm going to dry it out.

07:25Let me check something right here.

07:27They've got to get brewing quick.

07:29Cash and supplies are running low.

07:32Last night is rough.

07:34We're just trying to get things fixed back right.

07:36We need to catch up.

07:39It's just some leaves, man.

07:42The run-off from the storm

07:44has blocked the flow of water from the dam to the still.

07:47You should have a full pot.

07:51Well, well, well, hey.

07:55The water's doing good.

07:57Well, everything looks 100% to me.

07:59The best thing to do is to build a fire and fire him again.

08:03Fire him up.

08:12Even though the still is back in working order,

08:15Jeff, Mark and Jim Tom aren't out of the woods yet.

08:19They need the half-brewed mash they abandoned the previous night

08:22to pack a punch.

08:24This is all new territory for these...

08:26We got water in our mash last night,

08:28and I was worried that we would lose our run.

08:31It's doing good right there, Jeff.

08:33She's coming on towards the elbow.

08:35You hear her thumping?

08:37She's thumping. That means she's coming downtown.

08:40Back in the 20s and the 30s and the 40s,

08:43they didn't have a metal thumper.

08:45They run this worm right here right up by the pipe,

08:48and they run straight from the still to the worm.

08:53You got your container ready, ain't you?

08:55Oh, yeah, I've done that laundry.

08:57She's about ready to start producing the products.

09:04500km north in Virginia,

09:07the concrete foundation of Tim's distillery has set.

09:10Now he needs to remove the wooden forms

09:13in order to raise the walls.

09:15Got to get all these screws out, this wood off,

09:18so we can see what we got here.

09:20As we're going along with this Lego distillery,

09:23I'm learning every day it's a lot more difficult

09:26and a lot more details that has to be looked at.

09:29But his right-hand man, Tickle, has gone rogue,

09:33leaving Tim high and dry.

09:36I'm out here sweating, trying to get this thing going.

09:39I got JT helping me out, which is good,

09:42but Tickle should be out here helping me.

09:44We started this thing together.

09:46So the question is, where is Tickle at now?

09:50I want to go Lego with Tim,

09:52but right now there's just not enough money.

09:54A week ago, Tim and Tickle got into a nasty row.

09:58I'm thinking about getting somebody else to help.

10:00You know what, I'm thinking about getting somebody else to help me do this too.

10:03And you're going to get somebody else to help you get in jail.

10:05Tickle stormed off.

10:08Now each is operating on his own.

10:12Well, what happened to Tim?

10:14Tim don't want to do anything illegal.

10:16Tim really wanted to come out in the woods and make a run,

10:19so I had to branch off and do it on my own.

10:21We got buyers lined up.

10:23We got potential to make some money.

10:25This buyer's been lined up for a long time.

10:27I called my buddy Howard.

10:29I'm getting him to help me make a few runs of liquor

10:32so we can get some money coming in.

10:34Tickle gave me a call, said he needs some help making some moonshine.

10:37I figured I could come on out here, learn the ins and outs of moonshining.

10:40As far as I know about it, it's just drinking it.

10:43I ain't never made none.

10:44I drank plenty of my time, but hoping to make some money, that's the main deal.

10:47You going to line my pocket?

10:49Yeah.

10:50That's what matters.

10:54Coming up...

10:55Bill, is it ready?

10:57Yep.

10:58We can win!

11:00I've always had Tim there to show me what I was doing wrong.

11:03Now it don't happen.

11:06That's higher than a kite, Jeff.

11:08Well, I can tell by looking at that, that's way over 150.

11:13By mercy!

11:24In South Carolina,

11:26Josh and Bill are faced with the aftermath of a devastating rainstorm.

11:30In order to get back on track,

11:32they must pump the rainwater out of their flooded still site.

11:35Standing water, playing with power.

11:48It's lower now.

11:53Man, it's making a mess of this hillside.

11:56The water level's going down, though.

11:58Ain't standing water no more.

12:00A pond of water in the field would dam a hell of a lot better

12:03than a pool of water in our hole.

12:07For Josh and Bill, the hits keep on coming.

12:10The water damage also caused part of their tunnel to cave in,

12:14so now they need to shovel hundreds of keel of dirt out of their still site.

12:21Bill, is it raining?

12:23Yep.

12:24Started back again.

12:26We can't win!

12:28Rain or shine or flood or monsoon,

12:31it's not an option to quit.

12:33We got our tunnel caving in.

12:35We got to get it up.

12:48There's supposed to be a creek right around here.

12:51You see the way it ran, but it ain't here now.

12:54My bet is it's down that way.

12:59I always had Tim there to show me what I was doing wrong.

13:03Now it don't happen.

13:05If you do something wrong in this game,

13:07there's a whole lot of things that could happen.

13:10You could blow this up.

13:12You could get busted.

13:14So it kind of scares me a little bit.

13:18It kind of scares me a little bit,

13:20but it's just something I'm going to have to deal with.

13:25This creek is dry.

13:29You can see where this creek used to be 10, 15 foot deep.

13:36Well, let's go check something else out.

13:38All right, brother.

13:41Deputy Sheriff Chuck is hunting

13:43for a suspected moonshine distributor.

13:46He's on the way to meet a confidential informant

13:49who's offered information in exchange for a lesser charge

13:52on his own moonshine-related offence.

13:55The CI that called me today, I've used him in the past.

13:58He's proven reliable.

14:00Any time you're using a confidential informant,

14:03you've got to be careful with them

14:05because they can turn around and try and use us

14:07to see what kind of information they can get.

14:10Part of my job is to detect the person

14:12that's giving me information, their name and identity,

14:15so I don't want that going through any office phones

14:18or anything that might give him away to who he is.

14:21If you get a couple of them that you can trust,

14:23then we usually try to stick with them

14:25as long as they keep working out.

14:28Do you have to take your hand behind there

14:30and see if there's any heat?

14:32Oh, yeah, I had to get up in the morning.

14:34OK, that's what counts.

14:36The storm has left Jeff and Mark in uncharted territory.

14:39For the first time in their moonshining careers,

14:42they had to stop mid-brew.

14:44And now, they've got to find a way out.

14:47They're going to have to find a way out.

14:49They're going to have to find a way out.

14:51They're going to have to find a way out.

14:53They're going to have to find a way out.

14:56And now they're unsure

14:57that their partially-brewed mash is salvageable.

15:10But they've got an ace in the hole,

15:12legendary shiner Jim Tom and his 60 years of experience.

15:25We're hoping we'll get 10 to 15 gallons of moonshine today.

15:29We need to get caught back up

15:31instead of getting further and further behind.

15:34We really need this to be a high-proof badge,

15:37much higher than the last one.

15:39If not, we're back to square one.

15:43To dilute his liquor down to a market strength,

15:46a moonshiner must test the liquor's proof.

15:49Proof is expressed on a scale of 0 to 200.

15:53100% pure alcohol would be 200 proof.

15:57The most common market strength for moonshine

16:00is around 100 proof, or 50% alcohol.

16:03The most common way to proof liquor

16:05is to use a device called a hydrometer.

16:08But the best moonshiners proof their liquor

16:11using a method known as the shake test.

16:14They half-fill a jar with moonshine,

16:16give it a few good shakes,

16:18then watch the bubbles that form.

16:20The larger the surface bubbles, the higher the proof.

16:24Incredibly, a select few moonshiners

16:27are accurate to within half a percent with this method.

16:34This rum has to prove higher than the last one did.

16:39Our customers is wanting a better shot.

16:44That's higher than a kite, Jeff.

16:46I can tell by looking at that, that's way over 150.

16:49I'm old enough to know that.

16:51The half-brewed mash turned out as punchy as ever.

16:54The old master was right all along.

16:56That's in better shape than it was last night.

16:59I was worried we wouldn't get nothing, we'd be further behind,

17:02but it's doing good right now.

17:04It's a successful run.

17:06By the mercy! Yeah, it's high.

17:08I sampled it like I burnt my thomps out.

17:11It's better now, Jim, than when it was.

17:13Absolutely. Yes, sir.

17:15That's as good as any moonshiner would want.

17:18Popcorn's something, I always say it.

17:20A gallon of liquor is that one a bushel of taters won't.

17:23Let's get this stuff in the jars and get it going.

17:26Watch out for the blue light!

17:3140km to the east, Moonshiner X is spooked.

17:36He suspects someone in his circle has been turned

17:39and is talking to the cops.

17:43I had nobody to help me with the moonshine

17:45for a couple of different reasons.

17:47I don't want a lot of people knowing.

17:49Also, I don't want to be making moonshine,

17:51and the law will come up

17:53and my activities incriminate somebody else.

17:56I had a big bust around here a couple months ago.

17:59There was a guy get caught here in the county

18:01with 2,000 gallons of mash.

18:04He had an indoor operation, so he was pretty slick.

18:08As long as he didn't take anybody else in there,

18:11nobody would have known what he was doing.

18:13Kind of makes you wonder if somebody didn't tip him off.

18:16Having a bust like that, you get a lot more nervous.

18:20Deputy Sheriff Chuck is on his way to see the CI.

18:24He knows he's closing in.

18:26We can't be everywhere all the time,

18:28so we have to rely on other eyes and ears to help us along.

18:32In order to keep the CI hidden from the public,

18:35they decide to meet at Deputy Sheriff Chuck's house.

18:40I'm going to go in and meet with my confidential informant here.

18:43Stand by here, I'll be back.

18:57Coming up...

18:58This is my malt corn.

19:00This is all I have left.

19:02I think we need to build a second site around Barley Scotch.

19:05Holy smokes.

19:10You can make me a rich man.

19:12Our CI gave us some information about the drop-off point here.

19:17That's definitely not water.

19:31Deputy Sheriff Chuck has spent years

19:33developing a confidential informant

19:35who has a direct line to a major moon man.

19:39Chuck's going out on a limb,

19:41meeting him at his house.

19:43It's safer than meeting in a public place.

19:55A CI will provide information

19:57either for money or to work off prison time.

20:06That CI will mislead police

20:08in an attempt to buy time for partners

20:10or to stall his own prosecution.

20:16The meeting with the CI went good.

20:19Got some information that there's a drop-off point up here

20:22that's supposed to already have some moonshine at it.

20:25We're going to go try to intercept that

20:27before the buyer comes to get it.

20:32Back in South Carolina, things have gone from bad to worse.

20:38And we still got dirt coming down.

20:40I mean, it's coming out in chunks.

20:43Josh and Bill have shoveled and pumped their way

20:45through thousands of gallons of water and mud.

20:48But the water-clogged walls collapse at any moment.

20:52This tunnel's caving in.

20:54We need to get this thing right

20:56before it all comes crumbling down on us.

21:01This is a very dangerous thing we're doing right now.

21:03We're trying to figure out a way to stabilize it.

21:06We're going to put some post and some plate seal,

21:09and we're going to put this dirt back into place.

21:21Oh, boy, you guys got it.

21:24Did it cut you?

21:26I felt it. It didn't get my knee.

21:28It got the jeans.

21:31Oh, yeah.

21:34Why in the world did you just do that?

21:36I was just trying to hold the beam up.

21:38You scared me, man.

21:45I snugged. That looks like it'll work.

21:48For now.

21:53No rest for the weary.

21:55After a successful run, Jeff is back at it.

21:58Midway point through the season,

22:00Jeff to face a reality that all moonshiners are dealing with.

22:04A nationwide drought is affecting corn supplies,

22:07and the costs are booming.

22:11I don't know what I'm going to do here in a few more days

22:15on account of this drought.

22:19Usually I have about 40 bags.

22:22This is all I have left.

22:24This is my malt corn.

22:26I have about enough for probably three more runs.

22:30I'm going to have to come up with something else to use besides corn.

22:34I've not got enough money to put me through the winter,

22:37so I've got to think of something to make moonshiners.

22:48Tickle and his new partner in crime, Howard,

22:51are on the hunt for the perfect still site.

22:54Now, tickle the boss man.

22:58Are you ready to do a little bit of the hard work?

23:01I am.

23:02A good still hand is going to have to be able to do a number of things.

23:06You've got to move these stills around.

23:08I also need somebody that can be there when I call them.

23:11You can be the best still hand in the world,

23:13but if I need you and you can't be there,

23:16you're not worth anything to me.

23:18Also, he's got to be able to keep things quiet.

23:22I like the looks of this place.

23:24It looks pretty secluded, like nobody's been around for a while.

23:28Tickle has found a good, secluded spot,

23:31but it's missing one crucial element, a natural water source.

23:35The perfect set-up is finding a creek

23:38and be able to set up downhill from it,

23:40let gravity do the work, and there's no noise from a pump.

23:44But a spot like this,

23:48Tickle, whatever you say, I'm going with.

23:50All I'm worried about is filling my pocket with a little cash.

23:56In moonshine history, there's one man

23:59that stands out as the Robin Hood of moonshiners.

24:03His name was Lewis Richard Redmond.

24:07In 1876, when he was just 21 years old,

24:10he was on his way to the moon.

24:14In 1876, when he was just 21 years old,

24:18Redmond shot and killed a US deputy marshal

24:21who tried to arrest him for illegal distilling.

24:25He immediately became an outlaw

24:27and people started calling him King of the Moonshiners.

24:31While on the run, he forged on selling moonshine

24:34and giving the proceeds away to the poor.

24:37He spent the next five years criss-crossing the South

24:40and moonshining as he ran from the law.

24:43But ultimately, he paid the price.

24:45A former accomplice tipped off the authorities

24:48and he was arrested outside a farmhouse.

24:51He died seven years later in prison.

25:01Deputy Sheriff Chuck is building a case

25:04against a spected moonshine distributor.

25:06He's acting on a tip from an informant

25:09that a moonshine drop been made in these woods.

25:16One wrong move and Chuck could completely sabotage his own case.

25:31Some CIs are actually double agents,

25:34used to suss out what the cops do and don't know.

25:40You got the drop-off.

25:42Yeah, they could have a game camera on it

25:44or surveillance of some kind on it,

25:46so you want to kind of watch when you're going in there.

26:10That looks like three 1,500-gallon pots.

26:14My God.

26:16Can we use those?

26:18I don't think we can use them.

26:20I mean, metal's so old now,

26:22it's awful tempting because somebody already found a good spot.

26:26But being as it's an old steel site,

26:28that can draw attention to it itself

26:30because who knows through the years who's come by and found it?

26:34You have people on four-wheelers, people hunting, people hiking.

26:38And when talk starts, it's going to get to the wrong one,

26:41and the wrong one's going to come find your steel

26:43and that's the one that's going to try to bust you.

26:51We got the big heavy rains come down on us.

26:53We had a big cave-in.

26:55That started giving us a lot more serious concerns

26:57about the safety of this tunnel,

26:59so we engineered something a good bit stronger

27:01than we'd originally been talking about.

27:03Josh and Bill have secured the tunnel roof with wood beams

27:06to avoid a collapse.

27:08But if they're going to complete the still in time for the festival

27:11and be ready to moonshine,

27:13they have to install a more permanent solution.

27:16There's no way me and Bill can get this done on our own.

27:19We've had to call in reinforcements.

27:21Hey, did you bring enough piece of metal?

27:23Good gosh!

27:25We're going to cut a piece of plate steel

27:27so we can use as our barrier for our tunnel.

27:30It's going to hold our roof up.

27:33We've got to get the tunnel fixed and we've got to get it done today.

27:38Watch out!

27:40All right, now stabilise it for me.

27:46The metal plate sitting above his head weighs close to 300 kilos.

27:52We're going to all pick this up.

27:54We're going to slide it into place.

27:56We're going to put two jack stands in the corner.

27:58And then we're going to fit the post.

28:02If they're not careful,

28:046,000 kilos of dirt and metal could collapse on top of them.

28:08All right, now, that's what I wanted.

28:11Watch your fingers, man.

28:13We've got to get this done.

28:15We've got to get this done.

28:17We've got to get this done.

28:19Watch your fingers, man.

28:21We've got to pick it up further.

28:23Push it!

28:25Push! Push!

28:27Push it!

28:29Ah!

28:31Put that corner in right there.

28:33I'll hold it twist.

28:37All right, it ain't going nowhere, guys.

28:39Jack her on up.

28:41We've got this thing set in.

28:43And for the first time since we dug this tunnel,

28:46I'm feeling comfortable about standing up under it.

28:55Two kilometres to the northeast,

28:57after a fruitful run,

28:59Jeff, Mark and Jim Tom weigh their options.

29:02The nationwide drought has ravaged American crops,

29:05causing the price of corn to skyrocket.

29:10Watching the news, I thought, corn's not done good.

29:13And you've got to have it.

29:15You have to shut down. It's just one of the two, ain't it?

29:18If we have to quit, we're going to be losing money

29:21and our customers aren't able to go to drinking bonded liquor.

29:24Right. Well...

29:26We might need to set up a second still to run barley scotch.

29:30Unlike traditional moonshine, where the main ingredient is corn,

29:34scotch whiskey relies on barley,

29:36which is plentiful and unaffected by the drought.

29:40We can get plenty of barley right now.

29:42They've got a stockpile of it.

29:44I know my wife and son can run it.

29:46It's a little more work, but that's more money

29:48we get to put in our pockets at the end of the year.

29:51Jeff has to do what no moonshiner ever wants to do.

29:55He has to bring in his wife's son to pick up the slack.

29:59We'll just keep working there's up in Scotch

30:02and we'll keep doing moonshining as long as the corn holds.

30:05Right.

30:06I really worry about their safety

30:08and them getting in trouble with the law.

30:10We're going to have to find them a good secure place.

30:13Slide her out, pull her up.

30:19Back in Virginia, after stumbling upon an abandoned still site,

30:23Tickle and Howard decide to push deeper into the woods.

30:26Tickle leads the charge.

30:28I've got to find me a site and find it fast

30:31because I'm not making money until there's liquor coming out the worm

30:34and I'm putting it in a jug.

30:36See how it's getting green and it comes down

30:38and you make a dip right here.

30:40If we follow this, I bet we'll run up on some water right soon.

30:45This is looking good.

30:47Tickle has finally found a water source that may support his still.

30:52You know, we've got a great creek right there.

30:54I see, I see we've got a good stream right there.

30:57If we dam up right here, this will be great.

31:00Whatever we've got to do, I'm on board, brother.

31:02You can never steer me wrong.

31:04I look at this stream, I don't see water flowing through this stream.

31:08I don't see money flowing through this stream.

31:11My man.

31:13You're going to make that shit happen.

31:15You're going to make me a rich man.

31:19650 kilometres to the southwest,

31:22Josh and Bill have less than 48 hours to conceal the hole,

31:26put the final touches on their still

31:28and brew their first batch of moonshine of the season.

31:31The festival is in two days.

31:35I really don't have any more time for any problems.

31:37Just right from here on out, or I'm in hot water.

31:39I think we want to waterproof from that corner to this corner.

31:42I don't think I'm in the first six foot.

31:44Whatever, dude, it's puddling up, you know it's seeping through.

31:48You want to start, it's close to being done.

31:51If we put like a 2x6 or something, just listen.

31:54It don't need to go that high, it doesn't need to go that high.

31:56Whatever, never mind.

31:58If we get it up to stage level, it's going to be plenty.

32:00Whatever.

32:02Bill and myself have butted heads on a lot of things,

32:04and we're both chiefs, and we don't want anybody telling us what to do.

32:07You don't think I'm right? I mean, I don't want to argue, but damn, I...

32:10I'm just sick of you doing that to me.

32:12I'm sick of it, and I'm about to get...

32:14I'm about to...

32:16You change design every ten minutes, dude.

32:18It's... from the... week.

32:20I know, that's why we don't run the stuff up.

32:22I tell you what, I'm walking away for a little while,

32:24because I'm about to get...

32:26I'm frustrated with everything.

32:29I've just had enough of somebody telling me what to do.

32:32I designed this...

32:34I started this goddamn project,

32:36and now I'm having somebody come in and tell me what to do.

32:38This...

32:40I've been putting every dollar I got,

32:44every spare minute I got,

32:46hours, days, weeks, months, years,

32:50I've been working on this project.

32:52It's really questionable whether we're going to get done before festival.

32:56I've just had enough.

33:02Back in Graham County, North Carolina,

33:05Jeff, Mark, and Jim Tom

33:07have been forced to expand their operation.

33:10We'll just cross the creek right here,

33:12and we'll check this other one.

33:14They're on the hunt for a second still site location

33:17to brew a batch of barley scotch moonshine.

33:20We can actually set the steel right here

33:22with some keg condenser.

33:24And?

33:26Can't you see down in here?

33:28If you can't see the sky, they can't see you in the sky.

33:31No.

33:32How's that water, Mark?

33:34Atomically.

33:35You sure?

33:36Yeah, atomically, right there.

33:38You think they can produce pretty good?

33:40Oh, yeah, they know what they're doing.

33:42Well, that's what counts.

33:44To keep the steels running,

33:46Jeff has to bring in his wife and son to pick up the slack.

33:49Lynn and Lance come brew schine all about that,

33:52but they're down where boats patrol.

33:54It makes me really nervous,

33:56and we really got to keep an eye out for the loft.

33:59If it ain't that far, I can come check on it.

34:02The location's close enough to their current site

34:05so that Mark can keep a watchful eye on the family

34:08and be able to warn them at the first sign of trouble.

34:12The stakes have never been greater,

34:14so they formulate a game plan to keep them safe.

34:18I've got a branch coming down this cove.

34:22We got another one over here.

34:24The lake comes in here.

34:27Right here.

34:28Our branch is over here,

34:30and if any boats comes in here, it's one way out.

34:33Watch this little notch right here.

34:35And I'll be the guardian angel.

34:37I'll watch over both of you.

34:39You know, the steels, we can always just build another one.

34:42If we get caught, we can't get this off our records,

34:44and they can't either.

34:46Jeff, he's worried about his wife and youngin'.

34:48I would be, too.

34:50But we'll watch about them best we can.

34:52I'll just have to watch it, make sure nothing comes in.

34:54If I say go, go.

34:58Deputy Sheriff Chuck is acting on a tip

35:01that a moonshine drop has been made in these woods.

35:07There appears to be about 4 gallons here

35:09that they've dropped off for pickup.

35:13It's definitely not water.

35:16It's Chuck's first big win of the season.

35:19He's struck gold.

35:21Fresh corn liquor.

35:23He's tapped into the moonshine network,

35:25and they don't even know it.

35:27Four gallons, it's enough for making a better case against it.

35:31Since it's out in the open woods like this,

35:33I don't need a search warrant or anything for that,

35:35but I can use that to strengthen the search warrant

35:37and also keep this moonshine for evidence.

35:40Chuck's plan is to lie low.

35:43Now that he knows where the drop-off is,

35:45all he has to do is wait.

35:48The information he's gave me today has paid off,

35:50so we'll definitely be using him tomorrow.

35:57Coming up, a moonshine's last stand.

36:03What was that?

36:14Back in Franklin County, Virginia,

36:16moonshiner Tim is ready to move his stash

36:19of prized illegal moonshine from his underground storage cellar

36:23to a nearby tobacco field.

36:26Tim has been living a double life.

36:28By day, he's the town's fire chief,

36:31constructing a legal distillery.

36:35But in the shadows of the night,

36:37he's been devising the perfect plan

36:39to hide huge cash of illegal moonshine.

36:43The plan must go smoothly, or he risks losing everything.

36:47I'm working by myself. I really don't like money.

36:50You should have somebody on the outside looking for you.

36:53I don't have it right now, so I just got to do it all myself.

36:59Tim is hiding the moonshine under bales of hay,

37:02which will keep his shine out of sight

37:04while he transports it to his new hiding place.

37:09This is everything I got.

37:10I've got to move this stuff,

37:12and if I get caught with it, I'm finished.

37:18Boys, will you slip in here and see what this looks like?

37:20I just want to make sure I get them in a good, secure place.

37:24Have you ever been in this section before?

37:26Yeah, but not in several years.

37:28There's plenty of water.

37:30Yeah.

37:32It's good and cold, good and clear,

37:34but it's awful open, ain't it?

37:36There's not a lot of cover here.

37:38Take a pair of binoculars and fly around up there and see this.

37:41What do you think, Mark?

37:42Well, I say you know.

37:44Let's go see if we can find us another.

37:47I know a couple more spots.

37:49Let's go check them.

37:51Yep. No good, I told you.

38:00Back in Franklin County,

38:02Tim has started transporting his stack of illegal moonshine

38:05to the secluded tobacco field.

38:11This is very dangerous.

38:13What happens if your truck breaks down?

38:15You know, have a flat tire.

38:18Anything could come up.

38:20But sometimes you've got to take risks.

38:23So you have to be careful.

38:32Meanwhile, to the south,

38:35Mark is surveying the area they've chosen,

38:37their second still site, by night.

38:41The law, they travel these roads a lot.

38:44They look for any sign of where we've been,

38:47and they know that we've got to have water to run.

38:56I've got a lead right here at the high point

38:59that I can see them coming from any direction.

39:05You can be out here overnight,

39:07and all these frogs gets quiet,

39:09you'd better listen, because if something shot them...

39:15It could be somebody coming, or it could be anything.

39:18You've just got to pay attention.

39:24Back in Johnston County,

39:26Moonshiner X is feeling the heat.

39:28The police are close,

39:30but he's going to roll the dice

39:32and risk everything for one last run.

39:34Whenever you get ready to steal,

39:36proceed with caution.

39:40Any noise we make,

39:42we may potentially give away our location.

39:46Law enforcement, if they see you making this,

39:49they're probably not going to bust you right away.

39:52They're going to hang back,

39:54and they're going to wait till you grow.

39:56And in this industry, if you can sell your product,

39:58you're going to grow. It's going to be money.

40:01And when you grow,

40:03and they catch you at the point they want,

40:05that's when they take you, because they've got a case against you.

40:10Meanwhile, Sheriff Chuck is closing in.

40:14Somebody has just come from that residence.

40:17They may have two or three people

40:19helping them sell to the moonshine.

40:22If I'm looking for a steal itself,

40:24I'll be a daytime search.

40:26And if I'm looking for when they're going to be transporting product,

40:29then I'll do some nighttime surveillance.

40:33Once we get locked in on somebody,

40:35we'll try to do a traffic stop on them

40:37and see if we can find the finished product and everything else.

40:48Tim wastes no time unloading his jugs of shine

40:51into the tobacco field.

41:00If the law comes after you, they want to find you making it,

41:03they want to find you selling it.

41:05If you've got one jar or one case, it's bad.

41:10But if you get caught with a truckload, it's real bad.

41:15And if they catch you making a truckload,

41:17selling a truckload, they're really going to get you.

41:20Most of the time, we don't have confidential information

41:23or nothing like that.

41:25Usually what will happen is the regular citizen will see something

41:28and they'll report that to us,

41:30and we'll start running down the leads on it.

41:32If we get enough information,

41:34we can do an affidavit for a search warrant.

41:38You know, if you see live trout in the woods,

41:40there's usually something going on there.

41:47North Carolina has a state agency dedicated to operations of this,

41:51no matter how small or large it is.

41:53And they've been successful at busting operations locally.

41:57I don't want to get busted.

42:03I don't want to spend any time in jail.

42:13I continue to run around looking over my shoulder all the time

42:16in hopes that I won't get caught.

42:18I'm getting out. I'm getting out.

42:22Next time on Moonshiners...

42:24I wish for a miracle.

42:26I wish for a miracle.

42:28I wish for a miracle.

42:30Next time on Moonshiners...

42:32My whiskey, my whiskey, please don't let me down.

42:37I'm going to take me a drink and roam around.

42:44Not good. Not good at all.

42:46I can't believe I just did that. Damn!

42:49I need this to make my first run.

42:51And once I make my first run, I can pay you.

42:53We're doing way away with this thing, then.

42:55We got water, brother.

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