Small explosion at magic mushroom shop in Hamilton’s East End, 80K in damages

A small explosion at a magic mushroom shop in Hamilton’s east end Friday morning caused $80,000 in damages.

It happened at around 3:45 a.m. at Shroomyz Magic Mushroom Dispensary at 1353 Main St. East.

Const. Trevor McKenna with Hamilton Police Services said that a number of suspects got out of a dark blue Chevrolet Malibu, before smashing the front window to gain entry to the shop.

They say a short time later a fire erupted and the suspects had fled in the waiting vehicle northbound on Wexford Avenue North.

Officers say an accelerant of some kind was used to light the business on fire.

Detectives are looking for younger men of average height and thin builds, who were wearing dark-coloured hoodies.

Fire crews were able to put the fire out and safely evacuate the building.

They say no one was injured.

Shards of glass were scattered on the ground outside of the shop, and the inside of the shop is completely blackened from the smoke.

Along with Hamilton police’s arson team, the department’s major drugs unit will be investigating any drug-related offences at the business.

Property manager Jason Whalen lives in one of the units in the building and heard the explosion.

“All I saw was my cat run across and wake me up from my sleep, and I was like ‘what the heck’,” said Whalen. “I went out and people said something is burning, and I saw flames coming from under the baseboards. So I put that out and someone said the fire department is on its way.”

Jon Millington, who owns the Profast Limited a few doors down, said he’s not surprised something like this happened, seeing as there have been similar incidents at magic mushroom dispensaries throughout the province recently.

“We’ve had some issues in the area with drugs being sold on the corners – this and that – but I didn’t even know they were there ’til they blew up,” said Millington. “They’re selling mushrooms, so if you’re selling illegal things, illegal things will happen.”

This is the second time this month that a magic mushroom shop has been the target of violence.

READ MORE: Overnight shooting outside magic mushroom store in Brantford

In Brantford, at least six shots were fired at FunGuyz Magic Mushroom store near Murray and Chatham streets on May 13.

The City of Hamilton told CHCH News in a statement, “the health and safety of Hamilton residents is our top priority. These illegal dispensaries are not welcome in Hamilton, and we call on owners to follow federal and provincial laws, and our local bylaws.”

Hamilton police are asking anyone who may have seen or heard something near the Shroomyz Magic Mushroom Dispensary last night to contact them.