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Burlington Man Busted for Operating Multi-Million Dollar Psilocybin Mushroom Factory
A 21-year-old man from Burlington, Connecticut, Weston Soule, has been arrested for allegedly running a large-scale psilocybin mushroom growing operation with an estimated street value of $8.5 million. Soule is facing charges of possession with intent to sell narcotics and operating a drug factory.
According to police, an unidentified individual tipped off authorities about Soule’s clandestine operation. The DEA Hartford Task Force and state police detectives received the tip and launched an investigation, leading them to Soule’s home on Lyon Road.
WFSB Hartford reported that law enforcement agents arrived at Soule’s residence on Thursday morning. Upon speaking with Soule, they noticed ventilation equipment throughout the house that is commonly used in psilocybin growing operations. Soule then led investigators to a detached garage on his property, where they discovered a large mushroom growing operation.
Initially, Soule denied police entry into his home, prompting them to obtain a search warrant from New Britain Superior Court. Once the warrant was granted, investigators found a fully equipped “mushroom factory” with multiple levels of racks, substrates, inoculation chambers, grains, nutrients, and other supplies. The factory contained psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of growth, with an estimated street value of $8.5 million.
Soule was arrested at the scene and taken to state police headquarters in Litchfield, Connecticut, where he was processed and charged. Neighbors reported noticing suspicious activity at Soule’s residence, including running air conditioners on cold days and an increase in daytime traffic.
According to UNH Criminal Justice Professor and retired FBI agent Kenneth Gray, these are common signs of a grow operation. “In a marijuana grow house, the house is usually filled with lamps. In this case, mushrooms don’t need a lot of lamps, instead, they need a lot of ventilation,” Gray explained.
Soule is currently being held on a $250,000 cash/surety bond and is scheduled to appear for arraignment at New Britain Superior Court on Friday.
Interestingly, there is a push for psilocybin reform in Connecticut, with people attempting to regulate its cultivation legally. In 2021, Dr. Bronner’s, a well-known soap company, advocated for psilocybin reform in the state. The lobbying group New Approach PAC also funded $14,000 to a local firm to promote drug policy reform in Connecticut. According to CT Insider, a task force is currently examining the potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms.
