A San Diego County man has admitted to administering hallucinogenic mushroom capsules to his two young sons daily and participating in a conspiracy to grow and distribute psilocybin mushrooms.
Randal Vance, 43, confessed as part of a plea agreement that he collaborated with his wife and a friend to cultivate and distribute psilocybin mushrooms from two locations in northern San Diego County. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California announced the plea deal on Friday.
During a search warrant execution in October 2024, law enforcement discovered 257 pounds of mushrooms and 18 pounds of cultivation materials at a Fallbrook site. An additional 25 pounds of mushrooms, 5 pounds of psilocybin capsules, and six firearms were seized from a location in Bonsall.
Vance also admitted to beginning the practice of giving his 9- and 11-year-old sons psilocybin capsules every other day around October 2023, escalating to daily administration by 2024. He was apprehended in October 2024 following the search warrant operation.
"Psilocybin mushrooms are a controlled substance that act as hallucinogenic drugs, inducing altered states of consciousness and vivid sensory experiences," the attorney's office stated.
As part of his operation, Vance managed two websites and an Instagram account to market the mushrooms. He also supplied mushrooms to his elder son for sale to peers, according to his admissions.
Following Vance's arrest, he and his alleged co-conspirators reportedly destroyed evidence by deleting phone messages and taking down the promotional websites, as detailed in the plea agreement. Vance was on bond for prior state charges before his federal arrest. His wife, Rebecca Vance, 42, and Keir Ceballos-Rivera, 34, have previously pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
