A hidden room built into the wall between the stairs and the laundry room of a Peoria house held something investigators rarely see in Maricopa County: an active DMT manufacturing operation. Jason Ginn, 49, now faces seven felony counts after the Peoria Police Department SWAT team breached his rented home near 75th Avenue and Greenway Road and found the lab, along with methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and roughly $7,000 in cash.
Court records describe the seizure as one of Arizona's largest psychedelic-drug busts, according to ABC15 Arizona. DMT, or dimethyltryptamine, is a dangerous psychedelic drug that the station reported investigators found being manufactured in Ginn's upstairs bedroom, where a hidden room had been built between the stairs and the laundry room specifically for that purpose. Inside, investigators found nine Pyrex dishes and two 40- to 50-gallon drums, according to court records cited by the outlet; the substances in the dishes tested positive for DMT, while a separate white powder substance tested positive for fentanyl.
Overdose Calls Preceded the Raid
The case traces back to November 2025, when the investigation began. Court records reference that a citizen reported in April 2026 that Ginn was selling fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine at the house. The station's report also details two 911 calls, three days apart, about two women overdosing at the home — and in both incidents, a male resident reportedly shut the door on police, telling them he only needed the fire department, not law enforcement.
A confidential source told investigators that Ginn rented the home and sold approximately one pound of methamphetamine per day, according to court paperwork referenced in the same account. Clandestine lab investigators determined that the DMT found at the scene had been manufactured within the previous 24 hours of the raid, per the station's report.
SWAT Breach and Arrest
Peoria police SWAT breached the front and east side of the home to serve the search warrant, using chemical agents before detaining Ginn on September 1, according to court paperwork. Phoenix police, Tempe police and Peoria Fire all assisted the investigation, alongside the Maricopa County Drug Suppression Task Force, which includes the DEA, the Arizona Attorney General's Office, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and officers from Tempe, Buckeye, Surprise, Casa Grande, the Department of Corrections and Homeland Security Investigations.
The Maricopa County Drug Suppression Task Force is a multi-agency coalition established to combat firearms trafficking and regional distribution of dangerous drugs across Maricopa County municipalities, according to the Daily Independent. The task force has been active regionally in recent months — in March 2026, a joint operation involving the task force, the DEA and Phoenix-area law enforcement seized nearly 1,750 pounds of methamphetamine and 113 pounds of cocaine across the region, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
Charges and Prior Record
The Arizona Attorney General's Office charged Ginn with seven felony counts, per ABC15's reporting, including manufacturing a dangerous drug, conspiracy, forgery related to counterfeit U.S. currency, possession of dangerous-drug manufacturing equipment, possession of narcotic-drug manufacturing equipment, and possession of both a dangerous drug and a narcotic drug for sale above the statutory threshold. Court records also reference GHB found inside the home — a substance also known as the date-rape drug.
Ginn has prior convictions for fraud schemes, dangerous drug possession, criminal trespass, aggravated identity theft, assault and failure to appear, according to the station's report. Under Arizona law, manufacturing a dangerous drug is charged as a Class 2 felony, carrying a presumptive prison sentence and maximum penalties of up to 12.5 years for a first-time offense, according to Phoenix Crime Attorneys. Because the alleged drug quantities exceed the statutory threshold levels defined under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3407, a conviction would make Ginn ineligible for probation or a suspended sentence, per Matthew Lopez Law.
Why DMT Labs Are So Rare — and So Dangerous
Clandestine extraction of DMT from organic material frequently relies on volatile solvents like naphtha and lye, creating serious fire, explosion and toxic waste hazards inside residential neighborhoods, according to KIRO 7 News. That danger helps explain why a full SWAT team, chemical agents and hazardous-materials protocols were deployed rather than a routine search. Federal law classifies DMT as a Schedule I controlled substance with no accepted medical use in the United States, per the DEA Diversion Control Division.
Psychedelic drug busts of this scale remain uncommon in Maricopa County compared to routine fentanyl and methamphetamine seizures. Just last month, a Phoenix man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a raid on his home turned up 40 grams of DMT alongside more than 11,400 fentanyl pills, 4.1 pounds of methamphetamine and four firearms. That earlier case underscored the county's broader overdose crisis, in which methamphetamine was involved in 67% of fatal drug overdoses during 2024, while fentanyl was involved in 59%, according to Hoodline's prior reporting.
Whether Ginn faces additional federal charges given Homeland Security Investigations' involvement in the task force, and the total yield weight of DMT once forensic testing is complete, remain open questions in the case.
