North County Woman Who Had Sons Help Produce, Distribute Drugs Sentenced

OCEANSIDE, CA — A North County woman who took part in selling the hallucinogen psilocybin with her husband and also had their young sons assist them in growing and distributing the drugs was sentenced Friday to three years and five months in prison.

Rebecca Vance, 42, of Oceanside, pleaded guilty along with her husband, Randal Vance, and his friend Keir Ceballos-Rivera, to taking part in a conspiracy to cultivate and distribute psilocybin mushrooms and psilocybin products.

Though prosecutors have identified Randal Vance as the "ringleader of the conspiracy," they wrote in sentencing papers that Rebecca Vance was "an active participant" who distributed psilocybin capsules and found customers.

The couple also had their sons help grow mushrooms beginning when they were 9 and 11 years old, according to prosecutors.

Randal Vance additionally admitted in his plea agreement to providing doses of psilocybin capsules every other day to his sons and giving his older son capsules to sell to his friends.

The defendants produced psilocybin at a pair of locations in Fallbrook and Bonsall and sold them on the internet, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

After law enforcement officials searched the Fallbrook and Bonsall locations, seized psilocybin mushrooms and capsules, and arrested the defendants, they deleted text messages and took down their websites used for drug sales, leading to charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Defense attorney Kerry Armstrong argued in sentencing papers that his client had a limited role in the offenses and was unaware of the full scope of the crimes, such as Randal Vance providing their sons with hallucinogenic drugs.

Randal Vance and Ceballos-Rivera are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.

— City News Service