300 Pounds Of Opium Poppy Pods Seized By Customs Officers In Eastern PA

PHILADELPHIA — A few hundred pounds of dried opium poppy pods have been seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia this month, authorities said.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, its officers seized nearly 300 pounds of the pods that came to Philadelphia from Spain between May 1 and Tuesday.

CBP officers seized 63 shipments on May 1 with a combined weight of 65.05 kilograms, 20 shipments on May 7 with a combined weight of 29.91 kilograms, 12 shipments on May 13 with a combined weight of 13.89 kilograms, eight shipments on May 14 with a combined weight of 4.21 kilograms, 14 shipments on Monday with a combined weight of 12.08 kilograms, and six seizures today with a combined weight of 8.93 kilograms. Collectively, the 123 opium poppy pods shipments weighed 295 pounds and 10 ounces.

Each of the packages were manifested as "Decora Craft Balls Ornamental" and were destined to addresses in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

CBP officers seized the poppies for destruction.

The poppy pods had a street value of about $30,000.

This marks CBP’s second significant seizure of poppy pods in the Baltimore Field Office this year. CBP officers seized 250 pounds of poppy pods in February at Washington Dulles International Airport. Those poppy pods arrived in 81 air cargo parcels, also shipped from Spain.

Officials said the poppy plant — including poppy pods, poppy straw, and poppy straw concentrate in either liquid, solid, or powder form — is controlled under Schedule II of the federal Controlled Substances Act. Morphine and codeine are naturally occurring opiates derived from opium poppies.

Consequences may be severe for people who illegally import and sell dried poppy plant parts, authorities said. For example, an Indiana couple was sentenced to three years each and a North Carolina man was sentenced to 27 months federally for importing and selling poppy pods, straw, and unwashed seeds.

The DEA says opium is a highly addictive non-synthetic narcotic, and that abuse of it may lead to severe physical and psychological dependence, and can lead to an overdose.

Only licensed entities may lawfully import opium poppies and only from legitimate sources in regulated countries, officials said. The pharmaceutical industry lawfully imports and extracts opioid alkaloids from mature dried plants for medical purposes.