Bend-area man charged with selling psilocybin mushrooms, infused products out of his car

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend-area man has been charged with drug delivery, accused of selling psilocybin mushrooms and products infused with them out of his car, authorities who searched his car and raided his home said Thursday.

Around 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, detectives with the Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement (DCIMME) team, assisted by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) Team, conducted a surveillance operation and drug investigation that led to a search warrant being executed and a large seizure of illegal drugs, Bend Police Lt. Mike Landolt said.

It was reported to police that a 42-year-old Bend man was selling psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin-infused products out of his vehicle to community members, Landolt said. Detectives with the DCIMME team started an investigation and observed what was being reported.

On May 22, drug agents used various investigative techniques to observe a drug transaction committed by the man, Landolt said. Police were able to secure psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin-infused products that he allegedly sold during a drug transaction. 

That led to the Bend Police Department and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office conducting a traffic stop on his silver 1994 Toyota Camry in the area of NW Bond Street and Idaho Avenue in downtown Bend. 

A search warrant was executed on the car, Landolt said, and a large quantity of psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin infused products were located in a safe in the back of the car.

Police followed this up by serving a search warrant on the suspect's home in the 23000 block of Alfalfa Market Road in Deschutes County. Police recovered more processed psilocybin mushrooms, packaging material, a gun, and evidence of drug distribution, Landolt said. Nobody was at the home when the raid took place.

The suspect was issued a criminal citation to appear in Circuit Court for delivery of a Schedule 1 controlled substance, Landolt said, and there may be more charges filed. KTVZ News policy is not to name arrested individuals until and unless formal charges are filed. 

CODE Detectives and the DCIMME team were assisted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Bend Police Department 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.