Dulles CBP officers seize over 250 pounds of opium poppy pods from Spain

It must be harvest season after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted a combined 257 pounds of opium poppy pods that arrived in 81 shipments in air cargo at Washington Dulles International Airport last week.

On Friday, CBP officers seized 35 parcels of poppy pods shipped from Madrid, Spain, that weighed a combined 18.39 kilograms, or 40 pounds and nine ounces.

On Wednesday, CBP officers seized 49 parcels of poppy pods shipped from Madrid, Spain, that weighed a combined 62.4 kilograms, or 141 pounds and nine ounces.

On February 12, CBP officers seized 32 parcels of poppy pods also shipped from Madrid that weighed a combined 34.22 kilograms, or 75 pounds and seven ounces.

Collectively the poppy pods weighed 257 pounds and nine ounces. It had a street value of about $25,000.

All parcels were all manifested as “ornamental decora craft balls.” The poppy pods were destined to multiple addresses across the United States.

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.

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 in 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 using poppy tea.

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.

CBP officers seized the poppies for destruction.

“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.”

CBP seized 2,339 pounds of illicit narcotics at our nation’s borders every day during fiscal year 2023. See what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2023.

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.