Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Seizes 200 Pounds Of Mushrooms, Arrest St. Charles Man

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday charges had been filed against a St. Charles man allegedly in possession of around 200 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms.

Erik Hunter, 29, has been charged with delivery of a controlled substance.

The street value is estimated at $525,000.

Hunter was arrested May 12 as part of an investigation by the Franklin County Narcotics Unit into drug trafficking.

Hunter was stopped while allegedly transporting drugs.

Additional investigating by detectives led to three different locations within St. Charles County where search warrants were served in cooperation with the St. Charles County Drug Task Force.

Authorities located a fully operational psilocybin grow lab inside the suspect’s residence.

The lab contained numbers containers of psilocybin mushrooms in different stages of growth.

A storage unit registered to Hunter was searched and 200 pounds worth of mushrooms were seized.

Sheriff Steven Pelton said the narcotics unit has noticed a recent trend involving psychedelic drugs.

The seizure of psychedelics such as DMT, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD and MDMA “has dramatically increased over the last 18 to 24 months,” according to Pelton.

In recent months, the narcotics unit has dismantled a fully operational DMT lab and a large-scale psilocybin cultivation lab.

The production and extraction of DMT utilizes heat, combustible materials and volatile solvents, which poses a serious risk of fire and explosion.

The psilocybin lab was located inside a large fully occupied apartment complex.

Cultivation exposes individuals to potentially high concentrations of fungal spores, which can cause a wide range of respiratory issues and be fatal to those with pre-existing conditions.

The use of psychedelic drugs can have a wide range of effects on an individual, most notably the permanent and adverse change in brain chemistry.  The most common short-term effects include hallucinations, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, increased body temperature, nausea, panic, paranoia, and uncoordinated movements.  The long-term effects include persistent psychosis which is a series of mental problems involving visual disturbances, disorganized thinking, persistent paranoia and frequent mood changes.  Additionally, chronic users have developed HPPD (Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder) which mimics the symptoms of a stroke or brain tumor.  

The consumption of psychedelic drugs can have a lasting adverse effect on an individual, while the production and cultivation of such drugs can cause a serious risk to the health and safety for those who are unknowingly exposed.

For additional information on psychedelic’s or any drug-related questions, please contact the Franklin County Narcotics Unit at 636-583-2560 or 636-239-9700.