A police raid was held on Tuesday at the premises of the Funguyz company, which illegally sells magic mushrooms, on the first day of its opening. Three arrests were made.
The police operation began at 4:20 p.m. at the Funguyz business located on Ontario Street, at the intersection of Papineau Avenue. It is still ongoing. So far, at least three arrests have been made. A search will follow, said spokeswoman for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), Sabrina Gauthier.
The store opened at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Inside the store, sachets 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) are deposited on tablets.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Earlier in the day, co-owner Hector Hernandez, who campaigns for the legalization of magic mushrooms, said he was not worried about a possible raid by the police. “We expect there to be a police raid, it happened to all our businesses. If that happens, we will reopen right after. »
Last week, during the police raid that took place at the Funguyz store in Barrie, Ontario, “they took our products and made arrests. We reopened as soon as they left,” he said.
Hector Hernandez was present in the morning to advise customers. “If it’s your first time, I suggest the microdoses. We don’t want anyone to have a bad experience, ”he said in English to one of them.
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.