Police say they uncovered a $50,000 "magic mushroom" operation
Jan. 5—GOSHEN — A Goshen man is facing jail time for an alleged "magic mushroom" operation in Elkhart County.
Mason Bails, 34, Goshen, is charged with Dealing a Schedule I, II, or III Controlled Substance, a Level 2 Felony; Possession of Marijuana, A Class B Misdemeanor; and Possession of Paraphernalia, a Class C Misdemeanor after Elkhart County Intelligence and Covert Enforcement Unit raided his home on Dec. 13.
A press release from the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office indicates that the team began the investigation after they received information from Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team in Michigan about someone with a "psilocybin mushroom lab" located in Goshen due to a separate psilocybin dealing investigation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Psilocybin mushrooms are a Schedule I controlled substance.
The ICE unit executed a search warrant for a property in the 57000 block of C.R. 117 Dec. 13. They reportedly located 35 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms already harvested and 42 plastic tubs of mushrooms in various stages of growth.
"Due to the large amount of evidence found on scene the complete evidence processing is still ongoing," a probable affidavit reported at the time of the arrest.
Officers did, however, summarize what they said they found, which also included 33 clear plastic bags containing over 14,000 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, and drying mushrooms in various stages of the growth and harvesting process as well as dehydrators.
In fact, the operation appears to have been a more organized business named "Fruits 4 Thought," complete with advertising, marketing products, and pricing information at the property, the affidavit reveals. Packages, stickers, magnets and T-shirts bore the brand logo, as well as a banner found in the garage grow room, police reported. Prices were identified by police as between $20 to $400, and the prosecutor's office indicated that the street value of the mushrooms may be around $56,000.
The team also found 50 packages of THC candy, over 4,700 grams of candy bars labeled to contain psilocybin, several glass jars with a wax-like substance, and a "large amount of currency," the prosecutor's office press release indicates.
It's the second large-scale psilocybin mushroom operation the ICE unit has dismantled in the last year, the press release indicates.
Bails allegedly exited out the front door when officers began knocking and advised police that he wanted to remain silent. He was incarcerated on the charges at the Elkhart County Jail.
