Photos from inside and out: House-turned-mushroom growing operation worth $8.5 million busted

(As originally published with additional photos, Mon, November 6th 2023, 3:19 PM EST)

BURLINGTON, Conn. (TND) — A 21-year-old man was arrested for operating what Connecticut State Police called “a clandestine psilocybin mushroom growing operation” at his home in Burlington.

Authorities said they acted on a tip last Thursday and found ventilation equipment “consistent with those used in clandestine laboratories” throughout the home.

First, in a detached garage, Westen Soule reportedly showed them a large mushroom growing operation.

As for the house, authorities got a search warrant and found a clandestine mushroom-growing factory within, containing psilocybin mushrooms in various stages of growth, with an estimated total street value of $8,500,000.

Soule claimed that the type of mushrooms he was growing — psilocybin — was not illegal, but authorities said it’s a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning it’s not accepted for medical use and has a high potential for abuse.

He was charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics and operation of a drug factory.