Philadelphia CBP officers seize nearly 300 pounds of dried opium poppy pods from Spain

PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 300 pounds of dried opium poppy pods from Spain that arrived in Philadelphia between May 1 and today. The poppy pods had a street value of about $30,000.

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. Morphine and codeine are naturally occurring opiates derived from opium poppies.

Some consumers illegally import opium poppy pods to ground up and brew into a poppy tea for its narcotic, analgesic, antidiarrheal, or psychoactive effects. Poppy tea may contain high amounts of morphine. According to the Department of Justice, some users have died from consuming poppy tea.

Consequences may be severe for people who illegally import and sell dried poppy plant parts. 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.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, opium is a highly addictive non-synthetic narcotic. Opium abuse 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. For example, the pharmaceutical industry lawfully imports and extracts opioid alkaloids from mature dried plants for medical purposes.

“The United States continues to struggle through an illegal opium abuse epidemic that has hurt many families in our communities, and intercepting these poppy pods is one way in which Customs and Border Protection can help combat this very serious opioid public health threat,” said Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Philadelphia. “CBP officers remain committed to keeping our communities safe by intercepting dangerous drugs and other illicit products at our nation’s borders before they can hurt our communities.”

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 Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

CBP officers seized the poppies for destruction.

This is 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. The poppy pods arrived in 81 air cargo parcels, also shipped from Spain.

CBP officers routinely inspect international air cargo and parcels being shipped to or from the United States to ensure that all commodities comply with U.S. laws.

CBP seized 1,571 pounds of illicit narcotics at our nation’s borders every day during fiscal year 2023. View CBP’s sortable drug seizure stats. See what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2024.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.