State police: $8.5 million worth of psychedelic mushrooms reportedly found at CT home; 21-year-old charged

State police arrested a man Thursday and charged him with operating a drug factory after reportedly finding more than $8 million worth of psychedelic mushrooms at his home in Burlington.

Weston Soule, 21, was charged with possession with intent to sell or distribute narcotics and operation of a drug factory after authorities searched his home at 109 Lyon Road following a tip that suggested he was involved in a secret “psilocybin mushroom growing operation at the residence,” according to Connecticut State Police.

According to state police, members of the DEA Hartford Task Force and detectives from the Statewide Narcotics North Central office went to Soule’s home at about 9 a.m. Thursday to investigate the tip they had received. Investigators spoke to Soule and noticed ventilation equipment throughout his home that was “consistent with those used in clandestine laboratories,” state police said.

Soule accompanied authorities to a detached garage on the property where they reportedly saw what was described as a “large mushroom growing operation,” though state police said Soule initially claimed that the type of mushrooms he was growing was not illegal.

Authorities sought a warrant to search the property after Soule declined to consent to a search, according to state police. Investigators obtained a warrant later in the day and, upon searching the property, reportedly discovered that the mushrooms that were being grown were “psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of growth,” state police said.

Authorities estimated the total street value of the mushrooms was worth about $8.5 million.

Soule later admitted that the mushrooms were those containing psilocybin, according to state police.

State police described psilocybin as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, which is “not currently accepted for medical use and (has) a high potential for abuse.”

Soule was held on a $250,000 bond and was expected to be arraigned Friday in New Britain Superior Court.