California

‘Suspicious’ delivery leads to discovery of 2,800 bags of magic mushrooms, CA cops say

A 43-year-old Lake Elsinore man was arrested, deputies said.
A 43-year-old Lake Elsinore man was arrested, deputies said. Photo from Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

A “suspicious package” mailed to a California business led authorities to a property with more than 2,800 bags of psilocybin mushrooms, deputies say.

The package, delivered to a Lake Elsinore business in August, had “psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana products,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said in a Nov. 27 news release.

Deputies processed the evidence and forwarded the case to the Lake Elsinore Special Enforcement Team, the sheriff’s office said.

Three months later, deputies identified a 43-year-old Lake Elsinore man as the suspect who shipped the package, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies said they found “a large-scale psilocybin mushroom cultivation operation” at a Lake Elsinore home.
Deputies said they found “a large-scale psilocybin mushroom cultivation operation” at a Lake Elsinore home. Photo from Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

While serving a search warrant at the man’s home, deputies “discovered a large-scale psilocybin mushroom cultivation operation,” the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies said they found “separate structures used for the cultivation, processing, and storage of large amounts of psilocybin mushrooms” on the man’s property.

Within those structures, deputies found about “445 pounds of vacuum sealed psilocybin mushrooms,” also known as magic mushrooms, and more than 2,800 bags of “psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of growth.”

In addition to the mushrooms, deputies said they found multiple firearms and ballistic vests.

The Lake Elsinore man was booked into jail on multiple felonies stemming from drug-related offenses and weapons violations, according to deputies.
The Lake Elsinore man was booked into jail on multiple felonies stemming from drug-related offenses and weapons violations, according to deputies. Photo from Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

The Lake Elsinore man was booked into jail on multiple felonies stemming from drug-related offenses and weapons violations, according to deputies.

An investigation is ongoing, deputies said.

Lake Elsinore is about a 70-mile drive southeast from Los Angeles.

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This story was originally published November 29, 2024 at 10:34 AM.

Daniella Segura
McClatchy DC
Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
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