It is illegal in Ohio to sell liquor outside of the state's system.

Distilling hooch in your basement is one way to garner the attention of Ohio's liquor agents. Another is to resell bottles on the secondary market.

Yes, it is illegal in Ohio to sell liquor outside of the state's system. So, that bottle of Pappy Van Winkle in your liquor cabinet that a guy in Utah has offered you hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars for could run you afoul of the law if you agree to sell it.

It isn't hard to find people offering rare bottles on Facebook, Craigslist or other websites, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Ohio Investigative Unit working with the Ohio Division of Liquor Control recently charged several people with illegal sales.

"Secondary sales are a no-win situation," liquor control superintendent Jim Canepa said in a news release. "They hurt the small businesses that sell these products legally and put consumers at risk."

The risk is that bottles could be tampered with, counterfeit, or contain liquor that isn't safe. Ohio runs all liquor sales inside the state, and these black-market sales bypass the state's system, which generates more than $1 billion in revenue a year.

The Ohio Investigative Unit charge five people with illicit sales of liquor last month, and will continue to put an emphasis on secondary sales, said Eric Wolf, the unit's enforcement commander.

Any sale, or even swap, of liquor or beer — yes, even exchanges of bottles or cans of beer where no money changes hands — are illegal in Ohio, though the state is focused on the folks producing their own liquor or trying to make a profit off of rare bottles or brands not sold in Ohio, Wolf said.

Robert C. Jaskolka, 73, of Brunswick; Dennis M. Rigney-Carroll, 44, of Upper Arlington; Brian L. McSwain, 42, of Mason; and Joshua D. Ulam, 35, of Walton, Kentucky, were charged with misdemeanors related to the illegal sale of liquor. Gerald R. Osborne, 52, of South Point, was charged with misdemeanors related to illegal sales and the illegal transportation of liquor.

Penalties for the offenses range from up to 180 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines. Osborne could also face a maximum of 210 days in jail and a $1,250 fine.

jmalone@dispatch.com

@j_d_malone