Introduction
One of the many illegal runs that you can do on the island of Altis is running mushrooms. Mushrooms are one of the most accessible illegal items to run when you are first becoming financially stable enough to afford armaments to protect yourself and large enough vehicles to increase your profits.
Starting the Run
Before you begin, it is a good idea to check the market value of Processed Mushrooms via the “Y” menu to maximize your profits. It is also recommended that you bring at least 3 food and water items to sustain yourself for the duration of the run. You will want to begin this criminal venture by retrieving a truck from the truck shop located on the western side of Sofia. From here, you will travel southeast to the cow manure field. Once you arrive, you will notice that the processor is in an open field with a small barn and a few buildings offering some semblance of cover against would-be robbers. It is worth noting that the cow manure field is not a red zone and all mushrooms collected while in the area are entirely legal and not subject to seizure by the Altis Police Department. The field itself is located far off the beaten path, so you will be able to hear any vehicles or helicopters approaching as long as you keep your wits about you. Once you have collected the desired amount of mushrooms, you will proceed to the northwest to the magic mushroom processor. Alternatively, you can also venture off to the east towards the Mushroom Black Market, where you will be able to capture the market for your gang to process there instead. While safer, using the black market will cause a percentage of your unprocessed product to be lost, and you will not be able to double process due to the rudimentary processing equipment.
Processing Mushrooms
Once you arrive at the mushroom processor, you will see that it is housed in a small wooden shack with a decent amount of foliage that will conceal and protect you. This area is also a respectable distance from any high-traffic areas, but you will still want to remain vigilant while processing your illegal goods. Once you are settled in and feel secure, you will want to take the unprocessed mushrooms into the house and begin processing them. Players and vehicles must remain within 25m of the NPC in order for processing to be complete. If it is your first time processing mushrooms, you will need to buy a mushroom processing license for $29,000 at the NPC to use it to process. Be sure to sync your new training by hitting ESC. Fortunately, a bonus for processing that will incrementally give you faster progress as you process more mushrooms. You may also choose to process an entire vehicle full of raw materials into processed items. Players can select to process from a selected vehicle but multiple players may not process from the same vehicle.The time taken to process the inventory of the vehicle will be displayed and canceling processing will process all items up until the point of cancellation. Buffs gained from processing will also apply to the rate at which the vehicle is processed as well.
Processing Magic Mushrooms
After you finish processing, you will notice an option to “double process” your mushrooms into magic mushrooms. This will take more time, but you will have the processing bonus bar from any bonus received for processing unprocessed mushrooms into processed mushrooms. The magic mushrooms will give you a significant increase in profit upon selling (x1.25 current price), so if you believe yourself prepared to double your processing time, it will be well worth it.
Selling
After you are done processing, it is best to leave the processor as quickly as possible and begin your way towards the Sofia drug dealer located East of the city. Once you are within a reasonable distance, it is also recommended that you try to scope the area out from a distance to ensure nobody is camping the dealer or already using it to sell drugs before you arrive. To interact with the drug dealer, use the scroll wheel, double click the number of drugs you have in your inventory to select all of the Magic Mushrooms in your inventory, and click sell. Once you are done, deposit your money at the nearby ATM in the nearby city before moving on.
Payout
The average payout for a cocaine run using a Box Truck and a Bergen (210 mushrooms) is $704,340 for processed mushrooms and $809,991 for magic mushrooms. If your gang is in control of the cartel, it will allow you to hold onto 15% more of the profits, which is otherwise paid as gang tax to the controlling gang
Run Time
Using a tier 4 box truck, the run took 20 minutes. If you are to double process, the run will take around 25-30 minutes.