Nearly $3 million in psilocybin mushrooms seized in Riverside County

Law enforcement officials seized nearly $3 million in psilocybin mushrooms from a Lake Elsinore home this week and arrested one person as part of an investigation into an alleged “large-scale� mushroom growing operation, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Jesse Arroyo, a 43-year-old Lake Elsinore resident, was arrested Tuesday on two felony drug related offenses and two felony weapons violations, according to Riverside officials and online jail records.

The sheriff’s department said in a news release that Lake Elsinore law enforcement officials started their investigation following a report of a suspicious package delivered to a business in August. The package, which contained psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana products, was traced to Arroyo, officials said.

After serving a search warrant at Arroyo’s home, officials seized 445 pounds of vacuum-sealed mushrooms, 2,805 bags of mushrooms in various stages of growth, and several weapons including semiautomatic rifles and semiautomatic handguns that lacked serial numbers, according to officials.

Officials said the raid targeted a “large-scale� psilocybin operation.

“The property contained separate structures used for the cultivation, processing, and storage of large amounts of psilocybin mushrooms,� according to the news release.

Authorities also seized a semiautomatic handgun suppressor and two ballistic vests.

The arrest report says Arroyo was taken into custody on Lundell Road. While there is no Lundell Road on Google maps, a Lindell Road runs through sparsely populated hills north of the city.