NORTH READING — Chief Mark Zimmerman reports that the North Reading Police Department, in collaboration with the Southern Middlesex Regional Drug Task Force, Woburn Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, have arrested a North Reading man with multiple offenses related to the growing and distribution of hallucinogenic drugs.
CHRISTOPHER VLAHAKIS, age 57, of NORTH READING, was charged with:
- Unlawful Manufacturing of a Class C Substance (Psilocybin)
- Possession of a Class C Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute (Psilocybin)
On Thursday, Oct. 2, as a result of a pro-active and lengthy investigation into drug distribution, detectives from the North Reading Police Department, supported by member towns of the Southern Middlesex Regional Drug Task Force to include Woburn Police, and the DEA, executed a search warrant at the home of VLAHAKIS.
The subsequent search located evidence of a sophisticated drug manufacturing laboratory, containing equipment and supplies needed for the cultivation and production of psilocybin mushrooms. Also located were psilocybin mushroom spores at various stages of growth, and large amounts of suspected psilocybin mushrooms packaged for sale.
VLAHAKIS was taken into custody as the search was conducted. He was arraigned Thursday in Woburn District Court, where he was ordered held on $1,000 cash bail.
“I want to thank the Southern Middlesex Regional Drug Task Force, the Woburn Police and our federal law enforcement partners for assisting us as we seek to keep our communities safe from those who would manufacture and distribute dangerous drugs,” said Chief Zimmerman. “The North Reading Police Department is committed to increasing its investigative capabilities through specialized training, information sharing, and joint investigations to better protect our community from the dangers of illicit drugs.”
These are allegations. All defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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