Savannah man sentenced after pleading guilty to trafficking psilocyn

SAVANNAH, Georgia: A federal judge has sentenced a defendant to more than 12 years in prison distribution of psychedelic mushrooms.

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. 

Marcus Groover, 43, of Savannah, was sentenced to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession with intent to Distribute Psilocin. 

There is no parole in the federal system. 

According to court documents and testimony, in April 2025, Savannah Police Department police officers encountered Groover as he was asleep in his vehicle near a business located on Montgomery Street. As officers contacted Groover, they observed marijuana and drug distribution items, such as plastic bags and a digital scale. 

As officers attempted to wake the defendant using a sternum rub, a firearm was observed beneath Groover on the driver’s seat. After detaining the defendant, a subsequent search of the vehicle revealed the presence of 11 grams of marijuana and .89 grams of dried mushrooms. Testing conducted later by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Division of Forensic Sciences Coastal Regional Lab confirmed the presence of psilocin, a Schedule I controlled substance.

“Combining illegal drug distribution with an accessible firearm poses a severe and immediate danger to our community and the officers who protect it,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “Thanks to the vigilance of the Savannah Police Department, a dangerous combination of narcotics and an unsecured weapon was removed from our streets before anyone was harmed.”

The case was investigated by the Savannah Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Division of Forensic Sciences.

This case was prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and L. Alexander Hamner.