Two Gloucester men were charged after ABC agents seized an illegal distilling apparatus during an investigation last week.

Virginia ABC spokesman Kathleen Shaw said the ABC received information that an illegal distilling apparatus was advertised on Craigslist in Gloucester. She said ABC special agents from the Hampton Regional Office made contact with the seller and last Thursday the agents conducted an undercover buy operation.

The two men, a 33-year-old Hayes resident and a 21-year-old Gloucester resident, were each subsequently charged with possessing a distilling apparatus without a permit, a Class 1 misdemeanor.

“A lot of people do not know that it’s illegal to have the equipment without a permit,” Shaw said. She added the men were not manufacturing anything.

Shaw said there is no cost for a distilling apparatus permit; however, the distilling apparatus must be non-operational. ...