Nearly 10 pounds of opium poppy pods bound for Dover were intercepted in Wilmington last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
The shipment, which came into the Port of Wilmington from the United Kingdom, was labeled as “Dried Cones Bulbs for Bouquets and Ornamental.” But when customs officers opened the box, they found three paper bags with 4.5 kilograms − or nine pounds, 14 ounces − of poppy pods.
Poppy pods contain the highly addictive opium, which users can brew into a tea or prepare so that it can be smoked. Opium can also be injected or made into a pill.
The poppy plant is also a source of morphine and codeine − non-synthetic opioids − as well as heroin, a semi-synthetic opioid made from morphine that has been chemically processed.
Like any other opioid, opium abuse can cause physical and psychological dependence. Because of this, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classifies it as a Schedule II drug.
The entire opium poppy plant, including poppy pods, poppy straw and poppy straw concentrate in either liquid, solid, or powder form, is a controlled substance. This means only licensed entities can import the plant or any of its parts and it must come from “legitimate sources in regulated countries,” according to CBP.
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Has this happened before?
Last week’s seizure isn’t the first in the area: In February 2022, CBP officers intercepted a shipment of opium poppy pods in Baltimore that was destined for an address in Cecil County, Maryland.
Also an express delivery shipment from the UK, the box was labeled as “Decoration” and the poppy pods were in brown bags similar to last week’s shipment.
Opium has been grown since at least 5000 B.C. in the Mediterranean and has long been used worldwide.
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