Shipment labeled ‘decoration’ was really opium poppy pods, feds say. Take a look
A shipment of 13 pounds of poppy pods was seized in Maryland after border agents discovered the seeds, which contain naturally occurring opiates, being illegally sent into the country.
Officials in Baltimore opened an express shipment Feb. 23 labeled “decoration” that was coming in from the United Kingdom, Customs and Border Protection said in a news release.
The officers discovered the pods inside brown paper bags and tested samples of the seeds. The seeds tested positive for morphine and codeine, which are opiates commonly found in poppy seeds, according to the release.
Although opium in poppy seeds is naturally occurring, only those with licenses can import the opium poppies from “legitimate sources in regulated countries,” border protection said.
“Consumers are prohibited from importing opium poppy pods and opium straw, which is the poppy plant minus the seeds,” the release said. “...and cultivating opium poppies in the United States is illegal.”
Officers confiscated the poppies to be destroyed, the release said.
“Communities across the United States continue to struggle with the opioid epidemic, and so Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to intercepting shipments of opioid products, including in their raw form, whenever we encounter them,” said Marc Calixte, CBP’s acting area port director in Baltimore, in the release.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Shipment labeled ‘decoration’ was really opium poppy pods, feds say. Take a look."
