257 Pounds Of Opium Worth $25K Seized At Dulles Airport

DULLES, VA — Customs officers at Washington Dulles International Airport seized a total of 257 pounds of opium poppy pods in 81 air cargo shipments from Madrid, Spain, within the last week that were worth a total estimated value of $25,000.

On Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 35 parcels of poppy pods, weighing a combined 18.39 kilograms, or 40 pounds and nine ounces.

On Wednesday, CBP officers seized 49 parcels of poppy pods, weighing a combined 62.4 kilograms, or 141 pounds and nine ounces.

On Feb. 12, CBP officers seized 32 parcels of poppy pods, weighing a combined 34.22 kilograms, or 75 pounds and seven ounces.

All of the 81 shipments were identified as “ornamental decora craft balls” and were headed to multiple addresses across the U.S., according to CBP.

“The poppy plant, including poppy pods, poppy straw, and poppy straw concentrate in either liquid, solid, or powder form are controlled under Schedule II of the federal Controlled Substances Act,” according to CBP. “Morphine and codeine are naturally occurring opiates in opium poppies.”

Some consumers who illegally import opium poppy pods may use them to brew a “poppy tea,” consuming it for its narcotic, analgesic, antidiarrheal, or psychoactive effects, according to authorities.

Poppy tea may contain high amounts of morphine, and some users have died from using poppy tea, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

“The opioid epidemic remains a very real and a very serious health concern,” said Christine Waugh, area port director for CBP’s Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to keeping our communities safe by intercepting dangerous products, like these illegal poppy pods, at our nation’s ports of entry."