Police want to drive region’s magic mushroom retail outlets out of business
Two FunGuyz magic mushroom dispensary stores have become popular with police.
And Waterloo Regional Police Chief Mark Crowell wants that trend to end.
Crowell said, following Wednesday’s police services board meeting, he’s hoping the continued seizure of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) in all its forms and drug trafficking charges against those selling the products will lead to a closure of its Kitchener and Cambridge locations.
The Cambridge store, at 457 King St.E., opened in early November 2023 and was raided by police soon after. All products were seized, and a 20-year-old Kitchener man has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Police raided the store once again in January, with three people charged.
FunGuyz opened a second location in the region in March, this time at 165 Victoria St. S.in Kitchener.
Last week, both stores were raided twice, within three days. Four people in total were charged with drug trafficking.
History has shown even after the stores are raided, they reopen within a couple days.
“From a public safety standpoint, we’re concerned about impaired driving, impaired driving by alcohol, but also drug, which has become a trend in our community and across Canada, and also just some of the unintended consequences that can come from some of the recreational use,” Crowell said.
“We’re also looking at further linkages into the illicit operation of this business.”
FunGuyz lists 23 locations on its website, including the two in Waterloo Region, although their Wasaga Beach store, still listed, closed in 2023 for operating without a business licence. Almost all the stores are in Ontario, with one in Montreal and another in Detroit.
Crowell said the various locations also makes it difficult to stop the FunGuyz franchise.
“There’s a process that’s involved,” Crowell said.
“So, we’re looking for local support from the courts and the Crown attorney’s office here locally with the charges that have been laid. We’re also looking to co-ordinate this from a provincial standpoint, because there’s other jurisdictions that have this business operating as well.”
Crowell believes a closure of the business would serve the interests of residents and the different levels of government.
“We will use whatever means we can from a law enforcement capacity to continue to act with best efforts.”