Austin Police Discover Rare Mushroom Growing Operation

Authorities run across mushrooms on the street, but the labs are harder to come by.

You hear about meth labs and marijuana growing operations quite often, but KXAN reports that the Austin Police Department recently discovered a large illegal mushroom grow operation.

The report says officers were serving a search warrant in South Austin when they discovered the stash.  They were ordered to evacuate as a precaution.

Sgt. Robbie Volk with the Austin Police Department told KXAN that sometimes if mushrooms are disturbed, they admit a spore that if you breath in can cause health issues or even be fatal.

The mushrooms found were all packaged in a plastic food container. Police say the going rate on the market is around $3,000 a pound.

Sgt. Volk says this is only the second mushroom lab he's run across in over 12 years.