A drug dealer has been jailed for selling large quantities of magic mushrooms on the dark web.
James Edmans, 36, pleaded guilty to drug and money laundering offences.
Edmans of Furzehatt Road, Plymouth, Devon had been arrested by officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit in August 2023 along with his mother, Kim Edmans, as he left his house to post a number of packages containing drugs his customers had purchased through the dark web.
Supported by colleagues from Devon and Cornwall Police, officers attended his home where they found various different mushroom grow areas.
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The wardrobes had been converted and contained 113 grow bags stored two-layers deep.
Mushroom spores were located in the fridge, as reported by Need To Know.
Mushrooms were being dehydrated and other paraphernalia associated with drug production and supply was evident.
An investigation by SWROCU’s Dark Web Operations Team showed Edmans was promoting and selling Koh Samui Thailand Magic Mushrooms across multiple sites under the brand name SweetGreenUK.
He was offering the class A drug in quantities of up to 112g and shipping to customers throughout the UK using the postal service. It was estimated he made over 5,000 sales on various marketplaces generating in excess of £500,000.
Edmans would make numerous evening trips to local post boxes – driven by his mother – to dispatch the orders.
He would wear a pair of prosthetic gloves to ensure his fingerprints weren’t on the packages and as an alternative to wearing latex gloves which may have aroused suspicion should he be seen posting the drugs.
At Plymouth Crown Court Edmans, who had been remanded since his arrest in August 2023, was sentenced to six years and nine months for producing a class A drug, supplying a class A drug and possessing a class A drug with intent to supply.
He was handed eight months for supplying a class B drug and four years for money laundering – all to run concurrently.
His mother Kim Edmans was handed a 20-month sentence suspended for two years for permitting her premises to be used for supplying class A drugs.
Detective Sergeant Matt Brain from the Dark Web Operations Team said: “My team is part of a nationally coordinated network investigating dark web markets and the trade of illicit goods.
“Edmans thought he could operate anonymously behind his SweetGreenUK brand but we were able to uncover his identity and stop these dangerous illegal drugs being distributed across the UK.”
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