The Shadow
ROANOKE, Va. – A Ripplemead, Virginia man was arrested recently on charges of attempting to possess with intent to distribute dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and distributing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), powerful psychedelic drugs.
Police investigators arrested Charles Herman Aardema III, 28, for these charges as alleged in a federal criminal complaint. According to the complaint, in September 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Miami international mail facility examined a parcel due to suspicious anomalies revealed by X-ray. The parcel was addressed to Aardema’s Ripplemead home and shipped by a “Raul Wictor Silva Batista” of Brazil.
Inside the parcel, officers found several plastic bags containing over 11 kilograms of reddish powder, which chemical analysis confirmed to contain DMT, a psychedelic drug known for its fast working and intense effects. Shipments records further revealed that between November 2020 and April 2021, CBP intercepted four other parcels of DMT powder en route to Aardema, totaling approximately 20 kilograms.
In October 2021, law enforcement executed a state search warrant on Aardema’s home. During the search, Aardema claimed he ordered DMT because he was “really into tie-dying,” even though he had no tie-dying equipment or tie-dye T-shirts.
Aardema admitted that he received packages of Mimosa hostilis powder from Brazil and reshipped it in smaller quantities across the United States, as directed by Batista. Aardema estimated he shipped 10 or 11 kilograms of the powder to as many as six people.
While Aardema was still on state bond conditions, officers with the Blacksburg Police Department independently arranged several controlled purchases of LSD and DMT from Aardema in March and April 2025. Aardema directed the undercover police informant to meet him on the campus of Virginia Tech during each drug sale.
The case is being investigated by Department of Homeland Security- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Giles County Sheriff’s Office; Pearisburg Police Department; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Blacksburg Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office thanks the Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Offices for Giles County and Montgomery County for their assistance.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and HSI Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
