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The arrest went down in Hartford County in Burlington around 9 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 2 when members of the DEA Hartford Task Force and the statewide Narcotics Task Force arrived at the home after receiving a tip that Westen Soule, of Burlington, was allegedly operating a mushroom grow house.
Upon arriving at the home, detectives made contact with Soule and found ventilation equipment throughout the residence consistent with those used in clandestine laboratories, Connecticut State Police said.
Soule accompanied investigators to a detached garage on the property where detectives found a large mushroom-growing operation.
During interactions with investigators, Soule claimed that the type of mushrooms he was growing were not illegal such as psilocybin.
When asked about activities inside of the main residence, Soule did not consent to a search of the residence.
Detectives then submitted a search warrant to New Britain Superior Court, which was granted. Upon serving the search warrant at Soule’s residence, investigators located a mushroom-growing factory, containing psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of growth, with an estimated street value of $8,500,000, state police said.
Soule admitted to investigators that the mushrooms were in fact psilocybin, which is a Schedule 1 controlled substance, police said.
Based on the information obtained during the investigation, Soule was taken into custody and charged with:
- Possession with intent to sell/distribute narcotics
- Operation of a drug factory
He was held on a $250,000 cash/surety bond.
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