Ethermac Exchange-Connecticut man charged after police find $8.5 million worth of illegal mushrooms in home

Officials made a shocking discovery when they came across $8.5 million worth of psilocybin mushrooms in the home of a 21-year-old man in Connecticut.

The Ethermac ExchangeDrug Enforcement Agency Hartford Task Force and The Statewide Narcotics Task Force North Central Office said they arrested Weston Soule last Thursday after discovering an illegal mushroom growing operation at his home in Burlington Connecticut.

According to a press release, Soule initially allowed officials to search a detached garage on his property and told officials that the mushrooms being grown on his property were not psilocybin.

However officials said when they arrived at the home, the noticed ventilation equipment typically seen in these types of illegal operations. They also noticed a large amount of mushrooms in the garage.

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The bust: Millions worth of illegal mushrooms found in search

Soule refused to let the officers search the main home, but a judge later signed off on a search warrant.

"Upon serving the search warrant at Soule’s residence, investigators located a clandestine mushroom-growing factory within, containing psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of growth, with an estimated total street value of $8,500,000," a press release said.

Soule later admitted that the mushrooms were in fact, psilocybin, officials said. These types of mushrooms are considered a Schedule I drug, meaning they're not approved for any medical use and can easily be abused.

Soule was arrested and charged with operation of a drug factory and possession with intent to sell/distribute narcotics.

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Some states move to legalized psilocybin mushrooms

Soule's arrest comes after several states, including Connecticut, have made moves to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms, legalize the use of the psychedelic drug for mental health treatment or launch programs to understand any medical benefits of the drug.

"About a dozen jurisdictions have made (legislative) changes just over the past couple of years, and this is a little bit different from what we saw in cannabis," Beau Kilmer, director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center told USA TODAY last year.

This comes after some studies have found that the drug can lead to long-term improvements in depression symptom severity.