Washington Square Shroom Sellers Dealt Bad Trip By Drug Cops

NEW YORK CITY — Nine accused drug dealers just learned a valuable lesson about Washington Square Park: maybe stick to selling marijuana.

A loose band of dealers who peddled psilocybin mushrooms and cocaine inside the iconic Manhattan park were the subject of an NYPD probe, authorities said.

Undercover cops arrested nine accused dealers in busts stretching back to January, prosecutors said.

"The aim of this investigation, which was initiated in response to community complaints about rampant drug dealing in Washington Square Park, is to ensure that this public recreational space can be enjoyed in the way it's intended to be, and those who live in the surrounding area can feel comfortable in their neighborhood," said Bridget G. Brennan, the city's special narcotics officer, in a statement.

Washington Square Park has long been famous, or infamous, as a spot where it's easy to score marijuana.

Other types of drug dealing and use inside the park also garners occasional attention, with the New York Post labeling it as a "drug den."

The recent busts began after community complaints last year over open drug use in the park, prosecutors said.

The accused dealers made more than a dozen sales to undercover cops, authorities said.