Updated May 6, 2023, 1200hrs.
Australians are using Twitter to connect with international drug traffickers selling mushrooms, LSD, ice, MDMA and pre-cursor chemicals via online shopping, a VicNews investigation has found.
Yesterday, Twitter user @SecretSmiley52 posted on Twitter who they (and others in their group) were allegedly purchasing mushrooms from and inadvertently tagged @geelanmedia (owner of this masthead).
Within minutes, VicNews was able to contact @Trip_Psyche by obtaining a Telegram link from their Twitter profile page.
@Trip_Psyche was contacted and said: “I’m a professional grower and vendor of psychedelic mushroom[s] and other psychedelic products also I’m a psychotherapist been working with thousands worldwide suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental breakdowns. with no disrespect intended please kindly let me know if you would like to try out some top quality psychedelic mushroom[s] also available in microdose capsule[s] (0.78g/Cap).”
VicNews informed @Trip_Psyche that they had ‘been outed’ on Twitter and were corresponding with a journalist.
“Ok that was because people are giving good recommendations of my store after purchasing ‘shrooms for either anxiety or depression,” @Trip_Psyche said.
They were also asked about what licences they held to distribute such drugs without prescriptions and “if they were legally allowed to do this?”
“I am legal allow to sell shrooms for healing purpose and the lsd and Xanax not legalize on that so I ship them discreetly,” @Trip_Psyche said.
When asked if, in reality, they were ‘just a drug dealer?’ “Yes. Based in US.”
VicNews has witnessed the Twitter ‘handles’ @geelanlies, @InspectorDTodd, @SecretSmiley52, @brigetitus, @PatrickDeane11, @ToMyPirateShip, @WakeWtfu and @Kuvlotik among others, allegedly involved in various Twitter feeds importing, promoting the use of, and possibly trafficking illicit substances using Australian and US postal services.
The aforementioned Twitter feeds often contain outrageous conspiracy theories.
Other illicit drug traffickers promoted by the group include @magiceye012, @shrooms_trips and @Trippy_Farm.
No orders were placed by VicNews.
The article has been updated to reflect that @trip_pscyhe, which many claimed to be a Twitter ‘bot’ has been actively reading VicNews since this article was published.
Australian Federal Police & Australian Border Force have been contacted for comment.
Twitter users were contacted but refused to give names or comments. As such this report uses their Twitter ‘handles’.