4 youths given 'magic mushrooms' by suspected drug dealer, 2 of them overdosed: Police

A suspected drug dealer in Colorado was arrested for allegedly giving a group of teenagers and pre-teens psilocybin mushrooms, also known as "magic mushrooms," causing two of them to overdose, police said.

Damien Solano, 21, is currently in custody at the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJC) in El Paso County, Colorado where he has been booked for felony drug distribution and manufacturing charges, Caitlin Ford, a Colorado Springs police spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email Wednesday.

Police became aware of Solano's alleged crimes when they received a call on Tuesday morning about two youths who overdosed on psilocybin mushrooms at Fox Meadow Middle School, according to the Ford. As both juveniles were taken to a local hospital, police learned that two other youths were victims of a possible drug deal gone bad, the spokesperson said.

Investigators determined that the four youths, whose ages range from 12 to 16, were speaking with a drug dealer through the Telegram phone app on Monday evening, according to Ford. The teenagers, pre-teens and the drug dealer met up that day in the parking lot of a King Soopers supermarket where psilocybin mushrooms were exchanged for cash, she added.

It is unclear what the status of the two youths who overdosed is.

How did Colorado Springs police identify Damien Solano?

Detectives worked with one of the youth's parents and were able to recover the remaining psilocybin mushrooms from their homes as evidence, Ford said. Police were also able to use the youth's phone to communicate with the dealer and find his location.

The dealer, who police later identified as Solano, agreed to another drug deal with the youth whose phone the detective was using. Authorities then drew out the drug dealer with active communication over Telegram during the undercover purchase, according to Ford.

Solano matched the physical description given to police by the four juveniles, the spokesperson said. He was also carrying 2 ounces of psilocybin mushrooms as ordered by the detective posing as the youth on Telegram, according to police.

Solano, who appeared in court on Wednesday afternoon, has a $50,000 bond, El Paso County inmate records show.

'Magic mushrooms' side effects

"Magic mushrooms" are psychedelics so they "can affect all the senses, altering a person’s thinking, sense of time and emotions," according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

"Psychedelics can cause a person to hallucinate, seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted," the non-government and not-for-profit organization in Australia said.

Magic mushrooms look similar to ordinary mushrooms, but they can differ in color and shape, including even looking like certain poisonous mushrooms, according to the foundation.

Since the key ingredient in magic mushrooms is psilocybin, it is illegal under federal law in the U.S. and classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, the National Drug Intelligence Center said.