News (Media Awareness Project) - CN AB: Opium Poppy Plants Seized |
| Title: | CN AB: Opium Poppy Plants Seized |
| Published On: | 2007-07-27 |
| Source: | Calgary Herald (CN AB) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-08-16 20:51:33 |
OPIUM POPPY PLANTS SEIZED
Man, 62, Charged After Police Search Northeast House
In what's believed to be a first in Calgary, police have seized opium
poppies capable of producing heroin from a home in the city's northeast.
Investigators served a search warrant on a house in Monterey Park on
Thursday and found 1,500 plants with an estimated value of up to $45,000.
"This is very rare in Calgary. This is the first one that I know of,"
said duty inspector Kevan Stuart, a former drug investigator.
Police were still sifting through the evidence Thursday afternoon ,
and it's likely the final tally will be larger, Stuart added.
The investigation was carried out by the Southern Alberta Marijuana
Investigative Team, made up of members from Calgary police and the
RCMP.
Despite the unit's normal mandate investigating marijuana grow
operations, Stuart said the investigation was sparked by a tip about
opium.
"They went in with the assumption that they were going to find poppy
plants," he said.
Although heroin is the most common byproduct from opium poppies, their
sap is also a source of related drugs such as codeine and morphine.
"It's a central nervous system depressant," Stuart
said.
Because of the narcotics it can yield, opium poppies themselves are a
controlled substance in Canada.
The majority of the world's opium supply comes from Afghanistan, where
poppies are one of the only reliable sources of income for farmers in
the impoverished and wartorn nation.
Canadian military forces operating in Afghanistan have sparked
controversy in this country by not destroying opium crops.
The Calgary police investigation is in its early stages, Stuart said,
and it's too soon to tell whether the home on Eldorado Close N.E. is
connected to any other poppy operations -- as is often the case with
marijuana grows.
"The investigation will carry on and continue to find out if any more
people are involved in this," he said.
[redacted] of Calgary has been charged with possession for the
purpose of trafficking and production of opium poppies.
Man, 62, Charged After Police Search Northeast House
In what's believed to be a first in Calgary, police have seized opium
poppies capable of producing heroin from a home in the city's northeast.
Investigators served a search warrant on a house in Monterey Park on
Thursday and found 1,500 plants with an estimated value of up to $45,000.
"This is very rare in Calgary. This is the first one that I know of,"
said duty inspector Kevan Stuart, a former drug investigator.
Police were still sifting through the evidence Thursday afternoon ,
and it's likely the final tally will be larger, Stuart added.
The investigation was carried out by the Southern Alberta Marijuana
Investigative Team, made up of members from Calgary police and the
RCMP.
Despite the unit's normal mandate investigating marijuana grow
operations, Stuart said the investigation was sparked by a tip about
opium.
"They went in with the assumption that they were going to find poppy
plants," he said.
Although heroin is the most common byproduct from opium poppies, their
sap is also a source of related drugs such as codeine and morphine.
"It's a central nervous system depressant," Stuart
said.
Because of the narcotics it can yield, opium poppies themselves are a
controlled substance in Canada.
The majority of the world's opium supply comes from Afghanistan, where
poppies are one of the only reliable sources of income for farmers in
the impoverished and wartorn nation.
Canadian military forces operating in Afghanistan have sparked
controversy in this country by not destroying opium crops.
The Calgary police investigation is in its early stages, Stuart said,
and it's too soon to tell whether the home on Eldorado Close N.E. is
connected to any other poppy operations -- as is often the case with
marijuana grows.
"The investigation will carry on and continue to find out if any more
people are involved in this," he said.
[redacted] of Calgary has been charged with possession for the
purpose of trafficking and production of opium poppies.
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