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Putnam County resident Zhenxiu Lu of Brewster was arrested on Monday, March 4 after he was found to be selling psilocybin mushroom products at the business he worked at, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Thursday, March 7.
According to the Sheriff's Office, in January 2024, investigators with the department's Narcotics Enforcement Unit determined that The Tobacco House of Zhang, located in Carmel at 1878 Route 6, was selling psilocybin mushroom products. An investigator later made three purchases of these products from Lu at the business, authorities said.
On the day of Lu's arrest, investigators executed a search warrant at his residence and seized around $53,000 in US currency as well as business and drug records. Authorities also executed a search warrant at The Tobacco House of Zhang and seized US currency, a large amount of psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana products, the Sheriff's Office said.
Following his arrest, Lu was charged with:
- Three counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance;
- Fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance.
He was later released on his own recognizance pending a future court date. As for the tobacco shop, the Town of Carmel Code Enforcement Officer was notified and will take appropriate action regarding the illegal activity, according to the Sheriff's Office.
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