FEDERAL AGENTS SAY MAN SOLD OPIUM PODS ON EBAY

A California man has been arrested on federal drug charges after he
allegedly sold dried opium pods to undercover federal drug agents via
Internet auction site eBay, U.S. prosecutors said Friday.

Krsna Lev-Twombly, 30, on Thursday was arrested at his Sacramento home,
after he allegedly advertised and sold 700 dried Papaver somniferum poppy
pods between July 2000 and January, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office
in San Francisco.

Lev-Twombly's eBay listing allegedly contained a disclaimer that the pods
were intended for decorative use only. A chemist for the Drug Enforcement
Administration, however, said the pods as they were delivered to undercover
agents could be steeped like tea and consumed as a controlled substance.

If convicted of distributing opium poppy, Lev-Twombly would face a maximum
sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $1 million. He was released
on $50,000 bond Thursday.

eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said the company worked with law enforcement
on the case.

"There have been a lot of folks who have found that attempting fraud on eBay
does not pay," he said.