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Topic: Shroom Warning (Read 564 times) |
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Margi
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Shroom Warning
« on: Apr 25th, 2002, 9:31am » |
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Morning everyone.
Just thought I'd let the shroom folks know that we've had a huge bust here in Calgary this week for a grower. Not that that is all that unusual, but he was arrested for possession of spores. His grow operation wasn't started yet, there was no one living in the condo...it was just getting set up. I was under the impression that the possession of spores wasn't illegal. Apparently, in Canada, it is.
Let's be careful out there, gang.
p.s. (I strongly doubt this guy was a clusterhead unless he's planning to cure the world, considering the quantity he had. $300,000 worth.)
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And, on the Eighth Day...God created Beer (to stop the Canadians from taking over the world)
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kathy copelin, ch.com 8/8/06
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notseinfeld
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Re: Shroom Warning
« Reply #1 on: Apr 25th, 2002, 10:55am » |
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Good grief!
It looks like he was getting ready to sell them but how do they know it was 300K worth? I have no idea really what a common street value would go for. Seems that in NYC they'd be tougher to acquire than say, Greenville Ohio where they'd grow wild.
Thanks for the warning.
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Margi
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Re: Shroom Warning
« Reply #2 on: Apr 25th, 2002, 11:08am » |
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I think he was probably getting ready to GROW them, then sell them. That may have been what he was arrested for - intent. I don't know. Media never gives you the whole story. As to street value, that's just what our local narcs have assessed the haul at.
We saw the news report this morning and there were probably a dozen garbage bags full - the orange Glad bag size, the really big ones. They were clear plastic and you could see the tiny little bags of spores inside them. The bags were full to overflowing.
This guy was going big. Now he's going away, apparently.
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And, on the Eighth Day...God created Beer (to stop the Canadians from taking over the world)
source unknown
IMHO (which in my universe is correct)
kathy copelin, ch.com 8/8/06
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pinksharkmark
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Re: Shroom Warning
« Reply #3 on: Apr 25th, 2002, 2:27pm » |
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Here is what the local TV station (CFCN) had to say. There is a video clip as well, but it doesn't work on my Mac. Windows people should be able to see it at
http://www.cfcnplus.ca/servlet/RTGAMArticleHTMLTempl
ate/A/20020424/mushroom?brand=generic&hub=&tf=CFCNPl
us/generic/hubs/frontpage.html&cf=CFCNPlus/generic/hubs/fro
ntpage.cfg&slug=mushroom&date=20020424&archive=CFCNPlu
s&ad_page_name=&nav=home&subnav=fullstory
Quote:Mega-mushroom grow operation busted
POSTED AT 4:40 PM Wednesday, April 24
City police have busted the biggest magic mushroom grow operation ever discovered in Calgary.
"Something this big has not been seen in our city," said Det. Ryan Dobson.
Police raided an condo in an upscale southwest Calgary neighbourhood, which had been rented for $1,700 a month, and found 865 bags of mushrooms hanging from a sophisticated racking system.
The mushrooms they discovered are worth an estimated $300,000.
Police also seized 75 large jars containing mushroom spores, which were to be used to start another crop.
Invesitgators don't believe anyone lived in the condo. There was very little food and only a mattress and a broken down sofa for furniture.
Across the street from the condo police found a truck containing manure, which is used to grow the mushrooms.
The grow operation was discovered when work crews, attending to a sewer problem, had to get inside the condo.
"You never ever saw someone there," said a resident of the gated community.
"At least I didn't. And I live right across the street from them so, big surprise."
Robert Douglas Redfern, 35, has been charged with cultivation and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Calgary detectives are now talking with police in Vancouver, where mushroom opereations are more common, to learn more about mushroom grow operations because they don't believe they have seen the last of this type of operation. |
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As is usual with stories of drug busts, inaccuracies and exaggerations abound.
The reported value of $300,000 is obviously hugely inflated. Presumably the 865 bags were packaged as indivual doses, which would normally sell for maybe $25 Canadian each. This equals CDN $21,625, or about US$ 13,500. In order to be worth CDN$300,000, there would have had to be around 60 to 100 kilograms (130 to 220 pounds) of dried mushrooms... something I find completely impossible to believe.
The 75 jars didn't contain spores, but mushroom mycelium (the fungal equivalent of a root system). It is true that this mycelium would eventually have produced mature mushrooms.
Fortunately, it is not necessary to rent entire condos, use truckloads of manure, and build sophisticated drying racks in order to produce enough medicine to fight The Beast. But, for those who are growing their own, it's best not to brag about it, and to keep the growing box tucked away in a closet or under a bed, just in case.
pinky
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Bob P
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Re: Shroom Warning
« Reply #4 on: Apr 25th, 2002, 3:20pm » |
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See ya all in Vancouver (mushroom capital of Canada) in a few months.
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Bob P
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Re: Shroom Warning
« Reply #5 on: Apr 25th, 2002, 3:30pm » |
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I think you presume wrong. Looking at the video it appears to be 855 bags, each one with about 1000 mushrooms in it. that would be just shy of 1 million shrooms.
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Mrs. Barlow, I never, and I repeat never, ever pissed in your steam iron.
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pinksharkmark
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Re: Shroom Warning
« Reply #6 on: Apr 26th, 2002, 12:40am » |
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Ah! As I said, I was unable to view the video, so I didn't realize there was THAT much. That is a truly staggering amount. I have NO idea what the guy thought he was doing. How was he planning to convert that amount of mushrooms into cash?
"Pssst... hey, kid! Wanna buy a garbage bag full of mushrooms? Gimme... oh, I dunno... ten thousand bucks."
Mushrooms have always been (and still are) very much a "fringe" item in the "recreational" community. There just isn't much demand for them. That amount would probably be double the annual demand for all of North America, and then some.
pinky
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maria
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Hey Pinky,
I will be getting some liberty cap mushrooms. soon. they grow here. I plan to dry them and store them
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Monique
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Re: Shroom Warning
« Reply #8 on: Apr 27th, 2002, 1:28am » |
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Well there yah go... first for Vancouver and now first for Ontario. Saw on the news this evening that there was a bust in Huntsville of a shroom growing operation as well. Granted they were growing weed too, but as the OPP officer said in the interview, this is new for the force to be dealing with shroom growing operations.
Not nearly the kind of quantities as in Vancouver, but it was enough to put fear into the hearts of farmers round them thar parts. 
Not a good trend for farmers that are growing them for reasons other than trafficking. 
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Deep Breath And Go On.......
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