East Bay bootlegging raid turns up illegal gun cache, state says

In this photo released by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, more than 40 illegal and unregistered firearms were taken from a residence following the arrest of 53 year-old Sterling Hartwell Albert of Martinez. The action was taken after ABC seized two illegal stills at a storefront in Concord along with more than 200 gallons of illegal distilled spirits and over 500 cases of illegally produced wine. less In this photo released by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, more than 40 illegal and unregistered firearms were taken from a residence following the arrest of 53 year-old Sterling ... more Photo: California Department Of Alcoholic Beverage Control Photo: California Department Of Alcoholic Beverage Control Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close East Bay bootlegging raid turns up illegal gun cache, state says 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

When state alcohol regulators busted down the doors of a Concord storefront last week, they found 200 gallons of illegal rum and whiskey, 500 cases of illicitly made wine and a couple of stills, officials said. They allegedly found the bootlegger at his Martinez home, along with a large cache of illegal weapons.

While Thursday’s Prohibition-like raid might sound like a scene from the 1920s, the agents from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control didn’t find tommy guns or .38 Specials. Instead, they reported seizing more than 40 unregistered and illegal firearms including assault rifles, grenade launchers and gun silencers.

“That’s an impressive amount of weapons,” said John Carr, an agency spokesman. “It begs the question of why this individual was in possession of that number of weapons.”

That question is part of an investigation. The suspect, 53-year-old Sterling Hartwell Albert, was arrested and booked into Contra Costa County jail on suspicion of felony counts of possession of illegal weapons and stills as well as misdemeanor counts related to selling alcohol without a license.

Regulators began the investigation after receiving a tip that someone was making and selling illegal distilled spirits out of a business suite at 5052 Forni Drive in Concord. State, federal and local law enforcement agencies assisted in the raid and arrest. The weapons were turned over to the California Department of Justice’s firearms task force.

Finding a bootlegger with an illegal distilling operation is rare — with perhaps only a few in California this year, Carr said. But it appears Albert’s alleged operation wasn’t a big secret.

The address is connected to Sterling Albert Winery, which creates “world-class wines,” including CorkScrew Wines, Nimium Wines and Chateau Merrill, according to the business’ website. It also hosts wine tastings every Saturday.

Albert had a Type 2 winegrower liquor license, valid through June, but assigned to a different address, officials said. There was no license connected to the Forni address, and Albert was not licensed to produce distilled spirits, Carr said. He said Albert surrendered his license to the department after his arrest.

According to the East Bay Vintners Alliance, a group of urban winemakers, the Sterling Albert winery has been producing wine for 18 years. Albert initiated the membership process to join the organization in May, but he never completed it or paid dues.

“He’s not a member,” said Adam Nelson, president of the association, adding he had just heard about Albert’s arrest. “I’m kind of shocked.”

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker