Release Date
Thu, 11/30/2023
WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted a shipment of opium Dried poppy pods in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday that was destined to an address in Middletown, Del.dried poppy pods
Dry Poppy Pod Heads
Dried Papaver somniferum heads are dried flowers from the opium poppy plant. These dried heads are collected after the petals have fallen off and the seed pods
Officers inspected an express delivery shipment, which consisted of three boxes shipped from the United Kingdom manifested as “Dried Table Decorations.” Inside the boxes, CBP officers discovered white plastic bags that each contained poppy pods. The poppy pods weighed a combined three kilograms, or seven pounds, 10 ounces.
In May, Wilmington CBP officers intercepted a 10-pound shipment of poppy pods destined to Dover, Del., that also arrived from the U.K.
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. Morphine and codeine are naturally occurring opiates in opium poppies.
Some consumers illegally import opium poppy pods to brew into a tea. 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.
Poppy tea is consumed by users for its narcotic, analgesic, antidiarrheal, or psychoactive effects. However, according to the Department of Justice, some users have died from using poppy tea.
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. Customs and Border Protection officers serve on our nation’s frontlines and we will continue to intercept dangerous imports, including these opioid-based poppy pods that could potentially hurt people in our communities,” said Erik Kelling, Port Director for CBP’s Port of Wilmington, Del.
CBP seized 2,895 pounds of illicit narcotics at our nation’s borders every day during fiscal year 2022. See what CBP accomplished during “A Typical Day” in 2022.
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 for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.