Crystal Lake man charged with felony possession of marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms

A 22-year-old Crystal Lake man, accused of possessing more than $120,000 in illegal drugs including psychedelic mushrooms and 6,000 grams of marijuana flower, must prove any bail money he posts does not come from drug dealing, a McHenry County judge said Tuesday.

Johnathan R. Munoz, 22, of the 600 block of Coventry Lane, has been in the McHenry County Jail since Saturday.

Munoz, who must post 10% of his $200,000 pre-trial bond to be released, did not appear with his attorney before Judge Robert Wilbrandt Tuesday because the area of the jail in which he is being held was on lockdown because of COVID-19.

His attorney, David Pugh, told Wilbrandt that Munoz’s family was in the process of gathering his bond money. At the hearing, Munoz discharged the Public Defender’s Office from his case.

Munoz is charged with the manufacture or delivery of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana and at least 200 grams of psychedelic mushrooms as well as possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana, at least 200 grams of psychedelic mushrooms and other drugs, including cocaine, oxycodone hydrochloride and hydrocodone bitartrate, according to the criminal complaint in McHenry County courthouse.

Munoz, convicted in 2018 of a drug-related charge, was arrested after police conducted surveillance of his home, where they were informed large amounts of illegal drugs were being sold, according to court documents.

Police conducted traffic stops on two vehicles that had been parked at the home briefly just before being pulled over. The driver of the first vehicle admitted to buying marijuana at the home, and the driver of the second vehicle said he bought cocaine there, according to court documents.

On or about Jan. 21, police pulled over a vehicle in which Munoz was driving with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. Police found marijuana in a purse inside the vehicle. Munoz admitted to packing the drugs to deliver to a “friend,” according to court documents.

Police obtained a search warrant of Munoz’s home where they found 6,342 grams, or 14 pounds, of marijuana flower. Police, however, quit counting and said at least 10 more pounds also were present, according to court documents.

Police also found five pounds of cannabis wax; about 260 grams of psilocybin, a type of psychedelic mushroom; cocaine; and pills that appeared to be a controlled substance, according to court documents.

A digital scale, packaging material and $8,046 also were found. The street value of the weighed marijuana flower and the psilocybin is more than $120,000, according to court documents.

“Given that [Munoz] has previously been convicted of a felony drug possession related charge in McHenry County … and given the evidence that [Munoz] has been part of ongoing drug trafficking, there is reasonable cause to believe that bail funds that may be deposited for [Munoz] may not be from a legitimate source or may be funds that are tied to narcotics trafficking or from some other criminal or illegal source,” Assistant State’s Attorney Hunter Jones wrote in a document compelling disclosure of source of defendant’s bail funds.

Jones wrote that it is the court’s duty to see that the source of bail is legitimate and not “merely a business expense for a dealer.”

Munoz is set for preliminary hearing Feb. 18.