L: Bagged mushrooms outside the Connecticut residence; R: Weston Soule.Photo:Connecticut State Police (2)
Connecticut State Police (2)
Police shut down an alleged psilocybin mushroom factory with $8.5 million worth of psychedelic mushrooms inside a Connecticut man’s home Thursday, according toWTNH,WFSBandWKRN.
The bust came from a tip to The Drug Enforcement Administration Hartford Task Force Thursday morning, perWTNHandWFSB.
At the home-turned-alleged-drug-factory, Weston Soule, 21, initially denied that the mushrooms he was growing there were illegal, police said, per the outlets.
Investigators recovered from the home mushrooms with an estimated street value of $8.5 million.Connecticut State Police
Connecticut State Police
When police asked if they could search the home — which had ventilation equipment resembling that used in other drug factories visible from the outside — Soule allegedly turned the detectives away.
Police returned later that day with a search warrant, uncovering the alleged factory teeming with mushrooms at various growth stages that investigators estimated had a street value of $8.5 million.
Some of the mushrooms investigators uncovered Thursday.Connecticut State Police
That’s when police allege Soule conceded that the mushrooms were in fact psilocybin — considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance, which is not permitted for medical use and can easily be abused, WFSB reported.
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The Connecticut home was outfitted with ventilation equipment resembling that used in other drug factories.Connecticut State Police
Connecticut State Police processed and charged Soule later that day with possession with intent to sell/ distribute narcotics and operation of a drug factory, according to WTNH and WFSB.
Soule, who was held on a $250,000 cash/ surety bond was scheduled for arraignment at New Britain Superior Court Friday, per the outlets. It was not immediately clear how he pleaded or who represented him.
source: people.com
