BURLINGTON, Conn — Hundreds of bags of psychedelic mushrooms with an estimated value of $8.5 million were found in a Burlington home on Thursday. A 21-year-old is now facing drug charges.
The DEA Hartford Task Force and detectives from the Statewide Narcotics North Central Office got a tip regarding a possible psilocybin mushroom growing factory at a home in Burlington.
A neighbor near the home said he always had a feeling something seemed off every time he drove by the home.
"It just didn’t seem right," said Lee Hornfischer of Burlington.
Detectives spoke to Weston Soule when they went to the home, state police said. Detectives noticed ventilation equipment throughout the home that is usually used in clandestine laboratories.
"The odd thing was they were running air conditioners when it was a cold day which didn’t seem right," added Hornfischeer of Burlington.
At a detached garage on the property, detectives saw a "large mushroom-growing operation." Soule claimed that he was not growing illegal mushrooms, state police said.
Soule did not consent to a search of the home when asked about activities inside the main home, and detectives later came back with a search warrant, troopers said.
"There were more cars during the day which almost seemed like it was a place for employment more than you know, people sleeping there at night," added Hornfischer.
A neighbor said Soule's arrest has been a long time coming.
"It’s been going on for so long. It’s been … at least, I’m trying to think … at least nine months," added Hornfischer.
Photos of inside the home that state police provided in a press release show rows of shelves of large plastic bags and bins of mushrooms at various growing stages.
The home had a clandestine mushroom-growing factory that was growing psilocybin mushrooms, with an estimated total street value of $8.5 million.
Soule then told investigators that the mushrooms were psilocybin, a Schedule 1 drug.
Soule was taken into state police custody and was charged with possession with intent to sell and distribute narcotics and operating a drug factory. He was held on a $250,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and X.
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