Illegal psilocybin mushroom grow raided at SE Bend apartment; resident arrested, DHS assists with 2 children
Barney Lerten
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Central Oregon drug agents raided and dismantled an illegal psilocybin mushroom grow operation at a southeast Bend apartment this week and arrested a resident on drug charges.
Members of the Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement (DCIMME) team and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team concluded a drug investigation with Wednesday’s raid, Bend Police Lt. Mike Landolt said.
A short-term investigation revealed that Nygel Marcus Boothe, 29, was manufacturing and distributing psilocybin mushrooms. On Wednesday, detectives served a search warrant at an apartment in the Stillwater Crossing Apartments.
Landolt said detectives located a large-scale psilocybin grow within the residence where Boothe, his girlfriend and two juvenile children reside. Detectives located psilocybin mushrooms, a psilocybin mushroom grow operation, a handgun, and evidence of drug distribution within the apartment.
“Detectives were aware of the dangers associated with a psilocybin mushroom grow within a residence, which pose a significant health hazard for people living in that environment,” Landolt said in a news release. “All evidence and hazardous items were removed from the apartment as part of this investigation.”
The Oregon Department of Human Services was contacted and responded to the location to assist police and assure the safety of the children.
Boothe was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and booked on several drug charges.
Court records show Boothe was arraigned Thursday on two felony counts of manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance. He was granted conditional release, including no use or possession of controlled substances without a valid prescription and not to associate with those using illegal drugs or frequenting places where they are used, kept or sold. He’s due back in court June 24 for arraignment on an expected grand jury indictment.
Landolt said Boothe was living with a “significant other” who may be facing similar criminal charges at a later date, after the case is presented to a grand jury.
Landolt said DCIMME would like to thank the Bend Police Department and the Department of Human Services for their assistance during this investigation.
The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the following Central Oregon law enforcement agencies: Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Madras Police Department, Oregon State Police, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Warm Springs Tribal Police Department, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County District Attorney’s, and the Oregon National Guard.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement task forces to disrupt or dismantle local, multi-state and international drug trafficking organizations.