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12 indicted for mushrooms More charges likely in big Josephine County raid By Chris Bristol GRANTS PASS � Twelve people have been indicted on federal charges in connection with a huge hallucinogenic mushroom raid earlier this year. More indictments are expected, Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel said. "There�s been a lot of complaints, because the raid was so big and nobody got arrested at first," Daniel explained Monday. "I tried to tell people that that�s kind of how the feds do business. They do things different than us." Armed with search warrants, more than 150 deputies and federal agents fanned out across Josephine County in January, raiding some 15 homes in the Williams area and five more in the Illinois Valley. The bust netted 14 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms as well as smaller quantities of peyote cactus, a controlled substance that only American Indians are allowed to possess or grow for religious ceremonies. Little information about the case has emerged because federal authorities won�t talk about it. The raids supposedly culminated a three-year federal investigation that also led to seizures of illegal drugs in Kansas and Vermont. Daniel said he wants to keep the public informed about the progress of the case. Citing self-imposed press guidelines, federal authorities have refused to discuss the raid, putting local authorities in an awkward position, Daniel said. "The feds are pretty tight-lipped, which makes it awkward for" local authorities, he said. "I just want people to know this hasn�t been an exercise in futility. "We just don�t go around busting into people�s homes," he added. "This was a pretty big deal." Authorities have not identified the structure of the operation. Defendant Stephen Faraday of Sunny Valley was indicted on charges of money laundering as well as possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy to manufacture and distribute psilocybin mushrooms. Seven other people also were indicted on conspiracy to manufacture and distribute psilocybin mushrooms. They are David Connery and Kathleen Jagoda of Illinois Valley; Mark Jagoda of Vermont, formerly of Illinois Valley; and Bob Pleu, Raymond Labelle, Tzaddi Heatherstone and Paul Walker, all of Williams. Also indicted were Ronald Peterson, Williams, manufacture of marijuana and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug crime; Paul Gunter, Williams, felon in possession of a firearm; and Gail Kucera, Williams, and Christine Casas (also known as Ina Kipana), Illinois Valley, manufacture of marijuana. The government has also seized $190,000 cash and six properties for forfeiture � three in the Williams area, two in Cave Junction and one in Sunny Valley. A federal grand jury is continuing to review evidence in the case, Daniel said. The U.S. attorney�s office in Eugene, which is handling the case, did not return a phone call Monday seeking comment. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA