Calgary, AB,
02
July
2020
|
11:09
America/Denver

Psilocybin production lab and website shut down

An illicit drug trafficking website has been shut down and an estimated $750,000 worth of drugs were seized off a property in Forestburg, Alberta, earlier this week following a six-month investigation by Calgary Police Service cyber and drug investigators.

“As drug markets have moved to online platforms, so have our investigations. We have adapted our capabilities, pairing drug investigators with cyber investigators, to ensure we are able to take action when we identify local sources of online drug trafficking. Being adaptable to changing crime trends is an important step in protecting our communities from harmful drugs and the violence that often accompanies drug trafficking,” says CPS Cybercrimes Unit Staff Sgt. Jeremy Wittman.

In early January 2020, cyber investigators located a website selling psilocybin mushrooms, a controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Over the course of the investigation, we learned the drug shipments were coming from Forestburg, Alberta. Subsequently a suspect was identified and we executed a search warrant at a rural property outside of Forestburg on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.

During the search of the property, we located electronic exhibits and a psilocybin production lab with a significant amount of drugs and drug paraphernalia, with an estimated value of $750,000. Following the search, our cyber investigators were able to shut down the illicit trafficking website.

Shawn Michael CASEY, 40, of Forestburg, Alberta, has been charged with 13 counts of trafficking and seven counts of possession of property obtained by crime. The investigation continues and further charges are expected to be laid at a later date.

We would like to thank our partners at the RCMP for their assistance in this investigation.

Case #20010311