Hallucinogenic mushrooms, psychotropic plants, cult-like deviance: police crack down on three shamans

Authorities in the Alpes-Maritimes region have arrested three individuals suspected of organizing shamanic rituals that involved the use of hallucinogenic substances and allegedly exploited participants psychologically. The operation, which involved around fifty personnel, took place in the village of Toudon, in the hinterland of Nice.

During the intervention, gendarmes found fourteen individuals who were subsequently placed under medical care. The suspects, a man born in 1962, his partner born in 1958, and a woman born in 1984, are accused of regularly conducting these rituals in small groups, fostering a climate of sectarian deviance. The investigation revealed the seizure of significant quantities of prohibited psychoactive substances, including Peyote cacti, psilocybin mushrooms (Ninos Santos), and Amanita muscaria, as well as various plant-based preparations.

Financial investigations uncovered over 120,000 euros transiting through the suspects' accounts over three years for these events. Authorities also seized luxury vehicles, cash, jewelry, and designer goods. While the accused acknowledged organizing meetings and receiving payments, they denied the alleged offenses. A judicial investigation has been opened, and the suspects have been charged with drug trafficking, fraudulent abuse of psychological or physical subjugation, organized crime, illegal medical practice, administering harmful substances to vulnerable persons, and money laundering. They have been placed under judicial supervision.