DRUGS SEIZED FROM GROCERY STORE

Two Charged After First Doda Bust In City

What started with a large seizure of opium poppies in Calgary last
fall and a suspicion the plants were being made into a narcotic known
as doda led Wednesday to the first local seizure of the drug.

Police said they seized 13 kilograms of doda and 60 kilograms of
unprocessed seed pods and poppies Wednesday morning during a raid at
Desi Bazaar, a grocery store in the 5100 block of 47th Street N.E.
that sells South Asian specialties.

"It was a substance we hadn't heard too much about, but it was a
substance members of the public brought to our attention," said Staff
Sgt. Darren Cave of the Calgary police drug unit.

The tips led police to start an investigation, during which they
allege they bought quantities of the drug at the store.

"My understanding is it was behind the counter," Cave said.

Police have also taken a man and woman into custody and charged them
with trafficking and production of narcotics. Authorities plan to
release their names.

Doda is a dried, ground substance made from seed pods taken from
poppies -- the same plant that produces opium and its derivative, heroin.

The powder is typically brewed into a tea. Police estimated an ounce
would sell for about $20. That amount could be used to make five or six doses.

Doda users experience a quick high, followed by a sense of calm.
However, it belongs to the same family of drugs as heroin and
codeine, and police warned long-term use is just as harmful.

"They're all addictive," said Det. Doug Hudacin, a Calgary police drug expert.

But much of the knowledge Calgary police have amassed has been
gleaned in the past six months, when authorities saw the first
indications doda was being trafficked here.

Last September, the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency seized
more than 7,000 kilograms of dried poppy pods in two truck shipments
that were inspected after arriving at a Calgary customs facility.

That investigation, which is continuing, has ties to the current
probe and also prompted the Calgary police drug unit to form a
working group with other law enforcement agencies, including the RCMP
and border services.

"We're all in a learning process," Cave said.

At the time of last fall's seizure, some community leaders and local
politicians expressed concerns doda consumption was growing among
Calgary's South Asian community.

On Wednesday, officials downplayed that connection, saying while doda
has origins in countries such as India and Afghanistan, its use here
isn't restricted to any particular community anymore.

"Whether it's in a specific community or not, these things tend to
spread," said Det. Doug Hudacin.

However deeply rooted doda may be in its native countries, it is
viewed no differently under Canadian law than other illegal drugs
such as cocaine and methamphetamine.