In October 2024, months after media coverage of his arachnid relocation services helped bring social media celebrity, well-known Edmond invertebrate breeder Nick Krueger’s home was searched under a drug warrant by the Edmond Police Department and the Army National Guard hazmat team.
While inside, authorities reported discovering a bag of beans labeled “ricin” — a biological toxin — and what they believed to be an “improvised explosive device.” Police took Krueger into custody, and Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna filed a trio of criminal charges against him, one for “manufacturing, selling, transporting or possessing explosives” and others for cultivating and possessing hallucinogenic mushrooms or psilocybin.
More than a year later, the bomb-making charge was dismissed by the state, the “ricin” container was ultimately determined to contain only castor beans (an ingredient in ricin’s production), and Krueger pleaded guilty to the pair of drug charges.
However, the legal saga was only one aspect of the story. In social media posts following his court case, Krueger would later claim the “BOGUS” tip preceding his arrest came from a fellow arachnid enthusiast who, as Krueger wrote, wove a conspiratorial web of falsehoods to seize control of the 41,000-member Spiders of Oklahoma Facebook group, which Krueger had helped administer before being removed.
Based on information from a “concerned citizen,” EPD Detective Tony Newsom filed a search warrant Oct. 1, 2024, with the belief that Krueger was growing psilocybin mushrooms. Newsom also wrote in the warrant that Krueger was allegedly using and selling marijuana, methamphetamine and acid.
In September 2024, Newsom collected trash sacks from the curb of Krueger’s home.
“Inside the sack, I found a grow kit for mushrooms, a pill bottle containing cocaine residue and mushroom residue,” Newsom wrote.
However, officers did not recover cocaine, meth or acid from Krueger’s home during the October search, and no evidence was referenced suggesting Krueger sold any of those drugs. Some marijuana was found, which Krueger was licensed to possess. Officers did seize 82 grams of “fungus plant material” deemed to be in a drugs and narcotics category.
‘No convictions for this bomb maker!’
Two days after pleading guilty, Krueger made a Nov. 14 announcement about his charges on Facebook.
“No convictions for this bomb maker!” Krueger wrote. “Turns out the DA knew exactly what it was—a firecracker. The only reason that charge was given is because a shitty ass detective was mad he got a BOGUS tip I was selling drugs. I was taking mushrooms to try and help my depression, never sold them.”
Krueger did not respond to NonDoc’s requests for additional comments.
In a written report, EPD Detective Marion Cain described his view of the device in Krueger’s bedroom safe.
“The IED was the size of a pill container and was wrapped in clear tape. I could see a dark material was inside of the container,” Cain wrote. “Also, I could see a green colored fuse coming out of the top of the device which was approximately 12 inches in length. Based on my training and experience, I believed this IED was capable of functioning.”
Cain also described his conversation with Krueger while he was seated in the rear of a patrol vehicle.
“Mr. Krueger admitted to constructing the improvised explosive device during the summer of 2024, around the Fourth of July. He stated he used black powder from leftover fireworks. Mr. Krueger stated the fuse attached to the IED also came from leftover fireworks,” Cain wrote. “Mr. Krueger then stated he knew the item was dangerous, which is why he kept it in a safe in his bedroom. Based on these statements, I informed Mr. Krueger he was under arrest for manufacturing an explosive device.”
In his Nov. 14 post, Krueger alleged that police were tipped off to his activities by another individual who sought to steal the Spiders of Oklahoma Facebook group.
“Dylan (West) did this because I was admin of the group spiders of Oklahoma and he was a pussy who got upset he wasn’t getting any attention as co-admin,” Krueger wrote. “So he set me up and STOLE MY GROUP OF 38k people. My support group, my friends, he took it all because he was insecure in how much better I was.”
West called the allegation “laughable.”
“[Krueger] is mentally unstable at best. I hope he gets the help he needs or at least finds a new obsession, other than me,” West told NonDoc. “As a co-admin, I could have removed him at any point. It’s literally just a click of a button. Any of his problems, issues with friends and legal troubles have been self-inflicted. I definitely didn’t ‘steal his group’ because I wasn’t getting attention. I removed him for the benefit of our members as he had become unhinged and volatile. I personally don’t need validation from a Facebook group. I have a life outside of social media.”
According to West, multiple members of the spider group were aware of Krueger’s mushroom cultivation.
“I’ve been to his house to pick up food for spiders and/or bring spiders. As for the mushrooms, many people knew about his mushrooms,” West said. “Including our entire Spiders of Oklahoma group chat that he showed them to. He told our group of five that he had and was growing mushrooms. I’ve also heard from other people who went to his house that he showed them his mushroom growing setup.”
