Illegal booze and weapons cache found in Contra Costa County

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KTVU) - Illegal guns and alcohol have landed a Contra Costa winemaker in jail. A cache of illegal weapons including assault rifles, grenade launchers and more were discovered in a Martinez home on Thursday when the suspect was arrested. 

53-year-old Sterling Albert’s stockpile all came to light after a tip was received that alcohol was being produced illegally in a business park. That’s when Federal ATF agents started watching, but when they served warrants, they found something even more startling just 20 minutes away.

Neighbors were floored at the arsenal of unregistered firearms in the garage.

“That is very scary,” said one resident, Rhoda Tse. “I had no idea that was right around the corner,”

Albert has sold wines legitimately under his own name in the past, but investigators said he had been making and illegally selling wine, rum and whiskey out of a Concord storefront that doubled as a tasting room.

He even had some glowing recent reviews online that said “Why go to Napa? Fine wines here in town,” according to one Yelp review. The visitors were unaware it was a bootleg operation.

“A fairly sizeable operation, he had hundreds of cases of illegally produced alcohol. Where that product was going to I can’t answer that question right now, but that’s part of the investigation,” said John Carr from California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

No one answers the door at the home in Martinez where the cache of more than 40 weapons was found. This only added significantly to the felonies Albert is facing.

“Not dangerous at all. He seemed like a nice guy every time I talked with him,” said one neighbor, Ben Fine. He said the family household seemed normal and active with family coming and going. “I’ve never heard of a grenade launcher in real life, outside of the military.”

“I looked in the back of a car and there were a bunch of guns, like huge semi-automatic looking weapons all from this house. It’s all in your backyard. It’s not good,” said Jody Knight, another neighbor.

Bail for Albert was set at $2 million. He faces felonies for the illegal and unregistered guns and it’s a felony to possess a still since they can explode. The distilled spirits may not be safe to drink.