San Diego police arrested two men at an Ocean Beach home on Wednesday, Nov. 4, after a search warrant turned up psilocybin gummies identical to packages taken by at least 15 trick-or-treating children on Halloween.
Michael Goff, 80, and Shawn Michael Foster, 45, were booked into San Diego County Jail on suspicion of possessing firearms as convicted felons, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD). No charges related to the psilocybin gummies had been filed as of the arrests, NBC San Diego reported.
The narcotics and child endangerment investigation remains ongoing, according to ABC 10News.
Officers served the warrant around 11 a.m. at a home in the 2100 block of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, police said. Inside, detectives found a bag of psilocybin gummies matching those distributed on Halloween, along with more than 2.5 pounds of cannabis, more than 25 grams of crystal methamphetamine, a digital scale, packaging materials and drug sales ledgers.
An illegally possessed rifle, dozens of rounds of ammunition and a partially assembled pistol were also seized, police said.
Goff was booked on suspicion of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Foster faces suspicion of possessing both a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
How the gummies reached children
Multiple bags of psilocybin-infused gummies were left on a residence's porch on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 31, and were picked up by children between 1 and 6 years old, according to the SDPD. Parents noticed the suspicious packaging and suspected the contents were controlled substances.
Frank Cary, one of two fathers trick-or-treating with their children and several neighborhood families that night, told NBC San Diego he spotted something wrong almost immediately.
"My 2-year-old went up and grabbed one and started walking away with it in his hand," Cary told NBC 7. "I noticed the picture had a giraffe and words that looked like they were melting. I took it out of his hand and saw that there was a dosage on the front of it."
Cary and fellow parent Cameron Hunter confronted the homeowners, then filed a police report and saved the packages. Law enforcement testing later confirmed the gummies contained psilocybin.
No source in the public record confirms whether any children ingested the gummies before parents intervened.
What police found
A San Diego code compliance investigator also responded to the property to open a separate investigation into unpermitted living structures, police said.
San Diego Police Lt. Cesar Jimenez, speaking before the arrests, said the parents handled the situation the way authorities recommend: accompanying their children, checking collected candy, confronting the residents and contacting police.
Anyone with information can contact the SDPD Narcotics Unit at 619-531-2468. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
