4 held with magic mushrooms

Dindigul: The Kodaikanal police have arrested four men, including three from Kerala, for illegal possession and sale of magic mushrooms which are banned as they are hallucinogenic.
Based on a tip, a police team led by sub-inspector Krishnakumar conducted a raid near Poombarai Kaikatti. The team secured and searched four men, who were found to be in possession of 200g of magic mushrooms for sale.They were identified as U Vishnu, 30, P Prasath, 37, and Mohamed Afsal, 26, of Kerala and D Chandra Mohan, 57, of Poombarai, Kodaikanal. As per the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the quantity they had was commercial.
Dindigul SP V Baskaran said that a case was registered against the four at Kodaikanal police station under sections of the NDPS Act, and they were remanded in judicial custody.
“Magic mushrooms having chemical contents psilocybin and psilocin (alkaloids) belong to the category of drugs in the NDPS Act and are banned. When these seized mushrooms were sent to Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL), Chennai, and chemically analysed, it was found that they contained banned chemicals,” he added. He noted that such magic mushrooms naturally grow in Kodaikanal forest areas such as Mannavanur, Poondi, Kilavarai, Vattakanal, and Poombarai forests.
The mushrooms are being sold for 500 to 1,000 per dozen.