By Neve Brissenden

ABC South West WA

Topic: Police

Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 8:00 am

A man mistakenly picked a death cap mushroom, thinking it was a psilocybin mushroom.

In short:

Police saved a man from possibly dying after he picked the wrong kind of mushroom.

The man, 22, was picking mushrooms in the Margaret River area when police stopped him near Manjimup and arrested him.

What's next?

The man will go to court in Bunbury next month for drug charges.

A man did not die from eating bad mushrooms because police stopped him.

The man was stopped by police in Manjimup, 300 kilometers south of Perth, on June 11.

The police found methamphetamine, MDMA, and mushrooms on the man.

The mushrooms were identified as death cap mushrooms, which are very dangerous.

The man from Perth was thankful to the police for stopping him from eating the bad mushrooms.

The man had been picking mushrooms between Margaret River and Manjimup.

The man was hoping to find mushrooms that would give him a reaction.

When the police told the man that the mushrooms were deadly, he was very thankful for their help.

The man from Perth was caught by the police during a regular traffic stop.

Picking wild mushrooms is a constant problem.

The South West of Western Australia is a popular place for picking mushrooms in the winter.

Many people go to the area to pick psychedelic mushrooms.

The death cap mushroom is a deadly fungus that people often mistake for edible mushrooms.

Eating one death cap mushroom can kill a healthy adult.

Eating one death cap mushroom can be fatal.

The police are also worried about people selling deadly mushrooms.

The police warned people not to pick wild mushrooms.

Selling wild mushrooms is like selling any other drug, and it is against the law.

The police strongly advise people not to pick and eat wild mushrooms.

The man will go to court on July 16.

Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 8:00 am

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