{"data":[{"id":759,"feed_id":{"id":155,"status":"published","date_created":"2025-04-17T19:09:59.807Z","date_updated":"2025-04-17T19:19:42.967Z","promoted":true,"feed_connect":[{"id":134,"collection":"Articles","feed_id":{"id":155,"status":"published","user_created":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_created":"2025-04-17T19:09:59.807Z","user_updated":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_updated":"2025-04-17T19:19:42.967Z","promoted":true,"feed_connect":[134],"feed_tag":[757,758,759,760]},"item":{"id":142,"status":"published","date_created":"2025-04-17T19:09:59.759Z","title":"Spore Losers: How ‘Project Magic’ Turned Funguygz’s Trip into a Police Bust!","content_body":"

The Raid Heard ‘Round the Mycelium Network

York Regional Police (YRP) just dropped the hammer on Ontario’s most infamous psychedelic supermarket chain, FunGuyz Magic Mushrooms, in a sweep so extra it got its own Narcos-style codename: Project Magic. The haul? A casual $3.5 million in shrooms, DMT, and enough cash to fund a small Burning Man. But the real kicker? Cops are still hunting two suspects allegedly hiding overseas—because nothing says “psychedelic drama” like an international manhunt for mushroom dealers.

By the Numbers: Project Magic’s Trippy Takedown

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💰 $3.5M: Worth of psychedelics seized, including 181kg of dried shrooms, 137kg of psilocybin edibles (gummies, chocolates, et al.), and enough DMT to blast off to Alpha Centauri.
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🔍 29 Raids: Executed across Ontario, netting $1M in property (RIP to someone’s Lambo dreams).
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👮 15 Charged, 2 on the Run: Including alleged kingpins Mozda Karim (last seen vibing in the UK) and Samer Akila (reportedly chilling in Egypt). Bonus points for charges like “Identity Fraud – Personation”—apparently, selling shrooms requires a secret identity now.
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🍄 78 Charges: Ranging from trafficking to “Possession of Forged Documents” (because even fun guys need fake IDs?).
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The Rise and Fall of FunGuyz: A Shroom Opera in Three Acts

Act 1: The Community Snitch

YRP claims this whole saga started with Karen-esque complaints about a FunGuyz store in Thornhill. Because nothing screams “threat to society” like a dispensary slinging mushroom chocolate bars next to a Starbucks.

Act 2: The Raid-a-Thon

Cops weren’t subtle. They hit 29 locations, swiping ATMs (RIP cash-only biz model) and allegedly shuttering FunGuyz’s warehouse. Employees were promised legal support if arrested—allegedly—but with upper management in cuffs, that’s looking shakier than a first-time trip-sitter.

Act 3: The Employee’s Lament

One anonymous worker told reporters she’s “devastated” FunGuyz closed. “I loved educating people about mushrooms,” she said, probably while side-eyeing the Toronto Police Service (TPS) for raiding 8–9 stores a day like it’s Cops: Psychedelic Edition.

The Charges: A Menu of Misdemeanors

FunGuyz’s alleged crew face charges so repetitive they’d put a Grateful Dead drum solo to shame:

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Trafficking Psilocybin (×15)
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Trafficking DMT (×12)
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Possession of Proceeds (Cash) (×10)
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Bonus Round: “Possession for the Purpose of Distributing Methamphetamine” (Hamilton branch, we see you).
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Notable Defendants:

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Adam Akila (30, London): Accused of trafficking shrooms and forging docs. Résumé highlight: “Professional Multitasker.”
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Polina Iumanova (32, Hamilton): Allegedly mixed shroom production with meth trafficking. Girlboss or Breaking Bad reboot?
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Thomas Nelson (53, Toronto): Proof that even Boomers can’t resist the siren call of psychedelic capitalism.
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The Bigger Picture: Why Cops Hate Fun(gi)

YRP insists this bust “made a significant impact” on Ontario’s shroom scene. But let’s be real: For every FunGuyz they shutter, a Shroomyz pops up downtown. With at least a dozen dispensaries still operating, this is less a war on drugs and more a game of Whack-A-Spore.

The Irony: Psilocybin is a Schedule III drug in Canada which is the same category as mescaline and LSD—but research increasingly touts its mental health benefits. Meanwhile, cops are out here treating mushroom clerks like El Chapo.

The Aftermath: Cash, Cuffs, and Conspiracy Theories

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💸 ATMs Gone Wild: FunGuyz’s cash-only model backfired when cops started confiscating their machines. Pro tip: Venmo for shrooms, anyone?
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🌍 Global Manhunt: Karim (UK) and Akila (Egypt) are now international fugitives. Extradition? More likely extra-difficult outside of the commonwealth, amirite?
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👩⚖️ Legal Gray Zones: FunGuyz’s lawyer, Jack Lloyd (a cannabis attorney legend), is probably drafting a “Shrooms: Not a Crime, Actually” memo as we speak.
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What’s Next? Schroomyz’s Turn?

With FunGuyz gone, Schroomyz—Ontario’s second-largest shroom chain may be sweating. Their downtown Toronto locations are basically holding a freshly sprouted “RAID ME” sign. But hey, at least they’ll look good in mugshots.

","lead_image":"20117c57-65fa-4eca-a4a8-da240fe1dcf5","slug":"spore-losers-how-project-magic-turned-funguygz-trip-into-police-bust","tags":null,"deck":"Cops vs. Shrooms: How York Region’s ‘Project Magic’ Busted Ontario’s Biggest Funguyz Dispensary and Why the War on Psychedelics Just Got Weirder. 78 Charges and 0 Chill","promoted":true,"related_content":[82,83],"article_tags":[474,475,476,477]}}],"feed_tag":[{"id":757,"feed_id":{"id":155,"status":"published","user_created":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_created":"2025-04-17T19:09:59.807Z","user_updated":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_updated":"2025-04-17T19:19:42.967Z","promoted":true,"feed_connect":[134],"feed_tag":[757,758,759,760]},"tags2_id":{"id":4,"status":"published","tag2_title":"Feed","tag2_slug":"feed"}},{"id":758,"feed_id":{"id":155,"status":"published","user_created":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_created":"2025-04-17T19:09:59.807Z","user_updated":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_updated":"2025-04-17T19:19:42.967Z","promoted":true,"feed_connect":[134],"feed_tag":[757,758,759,760]},"tags2_id":{"id":88,"status":"published","tag2_title":"Raid","tag2_slug":"raid"}},{"id":759,"feed_id":{"id":155,"status":"published","user_created":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_created":"2025-04-17T19:09:59.807Z","user_updated":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_updated":"2025-04-17T19:19:42.967Z","promoted":true,"feed_connect":[134],"feed_tag":[757,758,759,760]},"tags2_id":{"id":90,"status":"published","tag2_title":"Canada","tag2_slug":"canada"}},{"id":760,"feed_id":{"id":155,"status":"published","user_created":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_created":"2025-04-17T19:09:59.807Z","user_updated":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_updated":"2025-04-17T19:19:42.967Z","promoted":true,"feed_connect":[134],"feed_tag":[757,758,759,760]},"tags2_id":{"id":83,"status":"published","tag2_title":"Psychedelic News","tag2_slug":"psychedelic-news"}}]},"tags2_id":{"id":90,"status":"published","tag2_title":"Canada","tag2_slug":"canada"}},{"id":623,"feed_id":{"id":49,"status":"published","date_created":"2025-01-01T01:06:00.000Z","date_updated":"2025-03-17T02:20:16.584Z","promoted":false,"feed_connect":[{"id":40,"collection":"Articles","feed_id":{"id":49,"status":"published","user_created":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_created":"2025-01-01T01:06:00.000Z","user_updated":"0cabeeee-b9f2-4440-ad9c-13e119f68b4c","date_updated":"2025-03-17T02:20:16.584Z","promoted":false,"feed_connect":[40],"feed_tag":[618,619,620,621,622,623,624,625]},"item":{"id":66,"status":"published","date_created":"2025-01-01T01:06:00.000Z","title":"Canada's Wild West For Psychedelics in 2024","content_body":"

A wise person once told me - the crackdown on magic mushroom storefronts would happen in 2 years; at most. The year at the time...2023. As this is being posted on the last day of 2024 - those were really wise words and foresight. For some cities that were more hands-off in the beginning (like Toronto) are now turning up the heat on renegade shroom storefronts.

The psychedelic wave is not just particular to Toronto it's happening across Canada. Here is a brief list of Canada's wild west for psychedelics in 2024.

Alberta

What may come as a shock to many - Alberta is currently leading the way in psychedelics for medical purposes. If the trajectory of psychedelics is anything similar to cannabis - the path to recreational use happens after the medical industry is on board.

In October 2022, Alberta’s government introduced new requirements for psychedelic assisted therapy through an amendment to the Mental Health Services Protection Regulation. These requirements come into effect on January 16, 2023.

The Alberta government classifies Psychedelic drugs as: psilocybin, psilocin, MDMA, LSD, mescaline (peyote), DMT, 5 methoxy DMT and ketamine. In 2024 Alberta Blue Cross became the first major provincial insurer to cover Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in all of its forms

British Columbia

Canada's province of British Columbia, known for its leniency towards cannabis, appears to be following a similar path with psychedelics in recent years. This is more prevalent in cities like Vancouver where law enforcement more hands-off on psychedelics. However, even in cities such as Vancouver, psychedelics will face challenges in gaining government acceptance.

Dana Larson, a cannabis and psychedelic activist, has been in a battle with local officials in Vancouver for years with his psychedelic store being the battlefield - resulting in more than 3 raids within a year. The allegations originated from a 2022 city inspection, during which the inspector noted that the establishment resembled a mushroom dispensary far more than a café.

However in a recent court ruling a local judge sided with Mr. Larson. Many advocates argue that the city of Vancouver should end the court battles and begin regulating mushroom storefronts, following a model similar to the medical marijuana dispensary licensing system that paved way to legalization of cannabis.

Ontario

A major hub in the quest for psychedelics. Ontario is home to nearly 13 million Canadians so it isn't a surprise that this province in Canada experiences the highest number of magic mushroom storefronts. However, Ontario is not like British Columbia and Toronto is not like Vancouver.

Toronto

What originally started as one; that being Shroomyz, had now ballooned to over a dozen magic mushroom stores in the city of Toronto. Some large chains like: Funguyz & Shroomyz to a handful of smaller on-off stores. Majority of the storefronts happen in Toronto Downtown core and along the trendy Queen Street in Downtown Toronto.

Funguyz Raid

Funguyz a psychedelic retailer that at it's height had 13 retail stores under its belt. Majority of these stores operated within Ontario and more specifically in the GTA. Funguyz expierenced numerous raids in Toronto, Richmond Hill, Oshawa, Kingston and Windsor, the later resulting in a series of raids over the course of 2024.

Funguyz temporarily expanded into Montreal, but was met with heavy police enforcement. Stemming from the Montreal raid and mother and son plead guilty to trafficking a schedule 3 substance.

Funguyz announced on the 4th of November that they will be closing for good citing numerous city-wide raids and loss in product and the main reasons to shut it's doors. At the start of November 2024, Toronto police conducted a series of raids in 1 day across all Funguyz storefronts effectively shutdown all locations at the time.

There have been multiple rumors that even the owners/operators of the business had been apprehended.

Ottawa

Magic Mush a startup chain with 1 location in Ottawa and a second location in Toronto went through various back-and-forths with the city and landlords in Ottawa ultimately leading to a shift in delivery services.

News posting show that this store briefly opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba only to be shut down by Winnipeg's organized crime unit within a week. Police cited an overzealous lawyer as the reason to raid as hard as they did.

As of December 31 their Toronto location located in the bustling Kensington Market is also closed after a raid in late October.

Hamilton

Similar to Toronto, Hamilton also experienced a psychedelic rush in 2024. 2 long standing storefronts Mushroom Cabinet and Shroomys both experienced numerous raids.

Early October of 2024 both The Mushroom Cabinet and Shroomyz were both raided by Hamilton Police, seizing close to 10kg of dried mushrooms and a larger quantity of edibles and cash on hand. These string of raids had effectively closed both stores in the city for good - resulting in one switching to a delivery-based model.

Kitchener/Waterloo & Cambridge

Even areas outside of the GTA saw a breif stint with magic mushroom storefronts. Both in Kitchener and in Cambridge these store did not last no more than a month in operation were even a few were shutdown within weeks of opening.

In mid fall - this region also saw a large scale mushroom lab taken down by local police in the Township of Puslinch which is not too far from Cambridge.

Quebec

Governed under a little different in ideology compared to the rest of Canada. Very few areas in Quebec are easy to get into. But being the 2nd largest province in the country, Quebecors are known to be big fans of psychedelics. It's only a matter of time before it becomes mainstream in this province. 1 company tried to take it further - but didn't get far.

Montreal

Funguyz attempted a storefront in Quebec's largest city which raised immediately eyebrows as Montreal is not a city where the experienced any type of storefront outside of what's controlled by Le SAQ.

But they did it anyway. The results, a string of raids and reopens - but ultimately the Montreal police conducted several raids across the city resulting in many being charged and some even pleading guilty in early 2024.

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