A second search was held Thursday at the premises of Funguyz, which illegally sells magic mushrooms in Montreal. The business had reopened a few days earlier, despite a police raid that led to the arrest of four people last week.
The search began at 4:10 p.m. at the Funguyz store located on Ontario Street, at the intersection of Papineau Avenue, said the spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), Jean-Pierre Brabant. No details of possible arrests have been made public at this time.
Earlier in the day, when passing The Press, two employees were busy serving customers. “I’m stressed,” said one of them, introducing himself as David Hernandez. The young man in his twenties feared being arrested again.
He was among four people arrested on July 11 during a police raid that took place on the company’s premises on the first day of its opening.
Only Feila Alichina Idrissa has however been charged. She faces one count of drug trafficking. The young woman, who has no criminal history in Quebec, seemed confused when she appeared at the Montreal courthouse.
“We are respected a lot”
Employee David Hernandez has worked in the business since it opened. “A friend of a friend referred me. Then I went to the website to see the products and comments on YouTube. I found it interesting,” he says.
His arrest last week did not prevent him from returning to work. He wants to continue advocating for the legalization of magic mushrooms. “I want to legalize mushrooms. People are tired of buying on the street,” he says.
Around him, packets of dried mushrooms, capsules containing low doses of mushrooms and various products such as chocolate and gummies with psilocybin (the active ingredient found in magic mushrooms) were placed on shelves.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Sachets of dried mushrooms, capsules containing low doses of mushrooms and various products such as chocolate and psilocybin gummies are placed on shelves.
The colored posters that covered the inside of the windows when they were opened had given way to more discreet black curtains. Surveillance cameras were also installed outside the store.
“We are respected a lot here. To date, customers are all happy that it is open. It’s better to have a store than to buy it on the street,” says the employee.
Training to advise clients
David Hernandez claims to have had training in order to properly advise clients. “It was about three or four days. We had sheets to learn the products, after [le propriétaire] asked us questions to make sure we understood. »
The production, sale and possession of magic mushrooms are illegal in Canada. Since January 2022, it is possible to have legal access for therapeutic purposes, but access is however very limited.
The chain of magic mushroom stores Funguyz, which already has 11 stores in Ontario, still wants to establish itself across the province in the coming weeks with two stores in Montreal, one in Laval and one in Trois-Rivières.
With Vincent Larin and William Thériault, The Press