A Fallbrook father has admitted in federal court that he dosed his young sons with the hallucinogen psilocybin and involved them in cultivating and selling magic mushrooms from properties in Fallbrook and Bonsall, wrapping his family life into what prosecutors describe as a full-blown drug operation.
Prosecutors say the scheme ran through online storefronts, social media marketing and deleted messages, and ended with an October 2024 raid that turned up bulk quantities of mushrooms, capsules and a cache of firearms.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California, 43-year-old Randal Vance pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use minors to produce and distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute, two counts of distributing a controlled substance to minors and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
In his plea agreement, Vance acknowledged that he ran two websites and an Instagram account to market psilocybin products. Prosecutors say he supplied capsules to his oldest son to sell to friends, and began dosing his younger sons around October 2023, first every other day and then daily into 2024.
As reported by Times of San Diego, law enforcement served search warrants on Oct. 4, 2024, at an Ash Street location in Fallbrook and a Lilac Road site in Bonsall. Agents seized about 204 pounds of fresh psilocybin mushrooms, 53 pounds of dried mushrooms, inoculated substrate, five pounds of psilocybin capsules and processing equipment. At the Lilac Road property, investigators also found six firearms and loaded magazines, according to court records cited in the report.
Charges, Sentencing And Legal Exposure
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the charges Vance admitted to include statutes with mandatory minimum sentences and potential decades-long prison terms when minors are involved. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 18 by U.S. District Judge Robert S. Huie.
Prosecutors say Vance's wife, Rebecca Vance, and his friend, Keir Ceballos-Rivera, have also pleaded guilty in connection with the case and are set to be sentenced this summer.
What Investigators Say They Found In Messages
Prosecutors and local coverage describe text messages and photos that appear to pull the children directly into the mushroom business. In one image, a child is shown holding a mushroom, and Vance allegedly wrote that the "11-year-old helps me grow them" while promoting microdosing for children.
The Coast News reported that one of the boys, then a Lincoln Middle School student, told authorities he had sold a capsule to a friend for $3.
The guilty plea highlights a rare federal case alleging the use of minors to cultivate and distribute psilocybin and has sharpened scrutiny on how illegal psychedelics are marketed online. With sentencing still months away, the case is drawing attention for how the court will factor in the children's involvement and the public-safety concerns raised by large-scale home production.
