While the days of moonshining might be a part of Alberta's history, apparently the practice is alive and well at the Drumheller Institution.
A man who was serving at the Drumheller Institution pleaded guilty to running a still in his cell.
Kenton Butters appeared in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, June 14. He faced two charges under the Federal Excise Act for producing spirits and for possession of a still. He pleaded guilty to both charges.
The court heard how on February 10 of last year, institution staff, during their morning rounds, smelled the scent of “jail brew”; fermenting material to produce alcohol.
They tracked the smell to Butters’ cell, where he was the lone occupant.
An image of a working still in a cell at the Drumheller Institution using simple materials such as containers, a heating element, toilet and some piping.
Inside they discovered the working still, which consisted of a heating unit in a kettle made from a cleaning chemical bottle and tubing to capture the alcohol. It used the toilet as a cooler to condense the product, before it was delivered to a final vessel. They discovered three litres of pre-distilled brew and three full 500 ml bottles of liquor.
Penalties for this offence could run up to $25,000 in fines. The Federal Prosecutor recommend one day sentence for the charge of producing alcohol and $1,000-$2,000 fine for the possession of the still.
Butters is no longer serving at the institution and is on parole. Judge Barley expressed his concern that the offense happened almost a year and half ago, and Butters had not been charged until May of this year. Butters also received internal sanctions at the institution.
Judge Barley was concerned that if Butters had been charged earlier, it may have added a short bit to his sentence, and would have been dealt with.
Butters was sentenced to one day, time served as well as an $800 fine.
Staff Sergeant Art Hopkins told The Mail that often brew at the institution is indicative of less drugs coming in. Drumheller RCMP have seized three working stills, as well as a couple that were not in production.
Corporal Mike Black said it has been years since a still had been seized in Alberta, in an institution or otherwise, and years since these types of charges have been pressed.
“It is nice to get a conviction and move forward from there. The stills won’t stop inside the institution,” said Black.
