Randal Vance, 43, pleaded guilty to federal charges that included using minors to produce and distribute a controlled substance and supplying hallucinogenic drugs to children.
Prosecutors said Vance began giving psilocybin capsules to his sons, then aged 9 and 11.
Authorities seized more than $200,000 worth of illegal substances, mushroom-growing equipment, and six firearms during searches.
A Fallbrook, California, man has admitted in federal court to giving psilocybin capsules to his two young sons and involving them in a mushroom-growing and sales operation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Randal Vance, 43, pleaded guilty on June 26 to multiple offenses, including conspiracy to use a minor to produce and distribute a controlled substance and distributing controlled substances to minors. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California said Vance pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use a minor to produce and distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, two counts of distributing a controlled substance to minors, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Prosecutors described him as the "ringleader of the conspiracy" involving the cultivation and sale of psilocybin products.¹
Court records show that he began giving psilocybin capsules to his sons, then aged 9 and 11, around October 2023. The children allegedly received the substance every other day at first, with the frequency increasing to daily use in 2024.¹
Federal prosecutors also said Vance provided capsules to his older son, then 12, to sell to friends and made both boys help harvest and prepare mushrooms at properties in Fallbrook and Bonsall. The plea agreement states that he "made the two minors process and harvest the psilocybin mushrooms" grown at those locations.²
Rebecca Vance and co-defendant Keir Ceballos-Rivera have already pleaded guilty in the case. Rebecca Vance is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17, while Ceballos-Rivera is due to appear for sentencing on August 28.¹
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound found in certain mushroom species and remains a controlled substance under U.S. federal law. In its announcement on the case, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California described psilocybin mushrooms as hallucinogenic drugs that can cause "altered states of consciousness and vivid sensory experiences."¹
The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that the brain continues to develop into a person's mid-20s, particularly areas involved in judgment, decision-making, and impulse control. Because research on repeated psilocybin exposure in minors remains limited, its long-term effects on children are not fully understood.
Court records and the plea agreement in the Vance case do not include medical evaluations or findings regarding the health of the two boys.²
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, investigators executed search warrants at properties in Fallbrook and Bonsall on October 4, 2024. At the Ash Street site in Fallbrook, authorities recovered about 204 pounds of fresh psilocybin mushrooms, 53 pounds of dried mushrooms, 18 pounds of inoculated growing substrate, and equipment used to cultivate and process the drug.¹
At the Lilac Road property in Bonsall, investigators found another 25 pounds of dried mushrooms, five pounds of psilocybin capsules, and six firearms. Prosecutors said none of the weapons were secured, and loaded magazines were discovered near two handguns.¹
Court records also state that Vance operated the websites psillyrabbit.com and psillyrabbitmushrooms.com, along with the Instagram account @psillyrabbitca, to market dried mushrooms, capsules, and chocolate products online. Following his arrest, prosecutors alleged that the defendants attempted to destroy evidence by deleting messages and removing online sales platforms.²
Vance is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18 before U.S. District Judge Robert S. Huie. The case has also renewed attention on child safety concerns in illegal drug operations, particularly when minors are involved in cultivating or distributing controlled substances.¹
References:
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California. "Fallbrook Man Admits Dosing His Children with Hallucinogenic Mushrooms." June 26, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/fallbrook-man-admits-dosing-his-children-hallucinogenic-mushrooms
United States v. Randal Vance, Plea Agreement, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, filed June 26, 2026. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/randal-vance-plea-agreement.pdf
(Rh/TP/MSM)
