POLICE MAKE MAJOR OPIUM POPPY BUST

South-side store owner charged after 160 pounds of dried flower heads
seized in undercover operation

Edmonton police seized 160 pounds of dried opium poppy heads from a
south-side store last week, making what they say is a record-setting
bust of a relatively poorly understood drug that is gaining
popularity in Canada.

"We do believe this is the largest opium poppy seizure in Alberta's
history," said acting Insp. Greg Preston with the police organized crime unit.

"It's relatively new for Canadian law enforcement authorities. We
have seen some poppy heads here and there, w but as of late we've
started to notice larger-scale seizures."

Poppy heads, which are ground into a powdered drug called doda,
started to appear on law enforcement radar in January this year when
Peel Regional Police in southern Ontario issued a warning about the
harmful effects of the drug.

In March, they seized 432.5 kilograms of doda and 256 boxes of opium
poppy heads, which were valued at more than $1.7 million.

Peel Regional Police last week tipped off the Edmonton Police Service
to a 12-box shipment of poppy heads being sent from the Mississauga
area to Edmonton. The long cardboard boxes, marked 'dried flowers' on
the side, were shipped last Wednesday and intercepted by city police Thursday.

Undercover officers delivered the dried poppies to their intended
recipient:Neelkamal Indian Grocery&Movies at 27th Avenue and 48th
Street. A search warrant was then issued for the premises, which
resulted in the seizure of more than 160 pounds of poppy heads and 13
ounces of doda.

The business and its owner, 52-year-old Ravi Mohan Jolly, were
jointly charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

In total, Preston said, the street value of the seized drugs is
somewhere between $12,000 and $20,000.

The drug is sold both as a whole poppy head, which retails for about
$2, or as ground-up doda, which sells for between $10 and $25 per
ounce. Doda is usually dissolved into tea or another kind of beverage.

Police in Edmonton and Ontario are still figuring out where the
poppies originated, though Preston said they were probably grown in
Pakistan or Afghanistan. While Ontario police have been dealing with
this for some time, it's a new phenomenon for the Edmonton police force.

"We're concerned with the nature of the drug itself. It's a highly
addictive drug, we're still working to learn more about it. To be
very frank, this is new to the police, it's certainly new to the
Edmonton Police Service," Preston said.

Dr. David Cook, a University of Alberta pharmacology professor,
wasn't familiar with doda specifically but said opium products do
tend to make addicts out of users.

"Opiates in general are very addictive," he said.

"They produce a sense of pleasure which is very intense, but it makes
a person feel invulnerable, like everything is going to be all right.
That's extremely seductive," he said.

Although some users report taking doda to stay awake, Cook said
opiates generally produce the opposite effect. Opium and its
derivatives, which include codeine, morphine and heroin, usually
produce a feeling of euphoria and peacefulness in users, Cook said.

He said apart from some Internet writings by users, he could find
very little about the drug.

"If you go to medical sites, there's nothing you can find. There will
probably be some discussion in the medical community about it in the
coming months," he said.

The lack of information about the drug is one of the reasons city
councillor Amarjeet Sohi became concerned when the drug appeared on
the scene in Ontario.

"It is a little-known drug. There has been a lack of clarity about
whether this is a banned substance or not," he said.

Sohi said he started researching doda when it first became a concern
in Ontario. At the time, there was confusion as to whether or not it
contained enough opiates to be considered illegal. However, a
spokesman for Health Canada confirmed Tuesday that doda is included
under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

"We need to make sure that people who are using this or selling this
know it's illegal, know it's a banned substance, and that it has
serious health implications," Sohi said, adding that the drug has
become an "emerging concern" over the past few months.

"I think there's a lot of misinformation about this drug. Some people
see it as a harmless drug that gives you a little high, but they
don't see how addictive it could be."