London police lay trafficking charges in magic mushroom store bust

CTV News has learned that three people associated with an illegal magic mushroom dispensary in London, Ont. were charged with drug related offences more than a month ago.

London Police Const. Sandasha Bough told CTV News that on June 6, the London Police Service (LPS) Guns and Gangs section executed a search warrant at a business in the 200 block of Richmond Street.

“The drugs that were seized were illegal,” she said. “We can say that we seized a number of psilocybin eatables, a number of packages of psilocybin in dried mushroom form, as well as pills, and psilocybin in drink powder form.”

In all, about $20,000 worth of product was seized, along with $635.00 in cash.

The three people charged, ages 23, 26, and 30, all reside in London.

Each is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking a Schedule III substance.

One of the men was also charged with trafficking a controlled substance.

Police said they did not release the information at the time because the individuals involved were charged by way of summons.

When CTV News last spoke with the Fun Guyz London store a couple of months ago, they had been operating without a business license. While they wouldn’t speak with us on Friday, the store was open for business as normal.

The City of London declined an interview request, but provided the following statement regarding Fun Guyz, “As this is an open and active file, and because the contents of investigations are subject to provincial privacy legislation, we cannot provide any further information. We continue to work collaboratively with our partners at London Police Service.”

Toronto based criminal lawyer Alex Karapancev has dealt with similar cases, and he likens what’s going on with magic mushroom dispensaries to what transpired with marijuana dispensaries before legalization.

He said until legislation is changed, this scenario of illegal openings followed by police busts will keep repeating itself.

“Many may say the writing’s on the wall. We saw what happened with marijuana, leading up to its decriminalization. Throughout the western world, we’re seeing more research being done on psilocybin. There’s more public advocacy for its decriminalization. So we may see a shift in our laws as it relates to the substance,” said Karapancev.

The three individuals charged in the London Fun Guyz bust are scheduled to appear in court July 21.