Zachary T. Lee Acting United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
A Ripplemead man was arrested on federal charges of attempting to possess with intent to distribute dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and distributing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), according to an April 9 announcement by authorities.
The case involves the alleged importation and distribution of powerful psychedelic substances, which law enforcement says poses significant risks due to their intense effects. Authorities say these drugs can have a strong impact on individuals and communities.
Charles Herman Aardema III, 28, was taken into custody after a federal criminal complaint detailed several incidents involving shipments of DMT. In September 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Miami international mail facility inspected a parcel addressed to Aardema’s home in Ripplemead. The package, sent from Brazil by an individual named Raul Wictor Silva Batista, contained over 11 kilograms of reddish powder that chemical analysis confirmed as DMT.
Investigators also found records showing that between November 2020 and April 2021, four other parcels containing about 20 kilograms of DMT powder were intercepted en route to Aardema. During a search warrant executed in October 2021 at his residence, Aardema told law enforcement he ordered the DMT because he was “really into tie-dying,” although no related equipment or products were found at his home.
Aardema admitted receiving packages of Mimosa hostilis powder from Brazil and reshipping them across the United States under Batista’s direction. He estimated sending out up to eleven kilograms of the substance to six people nationwide. While out on state bond conditions in March and April 2025, undercover officers with Blacksburg Police Department arranged controlled purchases of LSD and DMT from Aardema on Virginia Tech’s campus.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations; Giles County Sheriff’s Office; Pearisburg Police Department; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Blacksburg Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office acknowledged assistance from Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Offices for Giles County and Montgomery County.
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.
Officials remind that "a criminal complaint is merely an accusation" and "the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty."
