60,000 opium poppy plants seized in northeast Edmonton, 4 charged: police

Police have seized 60,000 opium poppy plants from a property in Edmonton. They say the plants aren't typically seen in Canada. CTV's Marek Tkach reports:

Officers have charged four people after a search warrant in northeast Edmonton revealed around 60,000 opium plants as part of what they call an “elaborate poppy-growing operation.”

The Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) section executed a search warrant near 34 Street and 195 Avenue NW on July 4, according to a news release.

A two-day investigation found a field of poppies with a value of between $160,000 and $500,000.

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Officers also found doda powder, which is made by grinding opium poppy pods and is often used to make a highly-addictive tea with analgesic effects, reads the release.

Opium is a plant containing analgesic alkaloid morphine. It can be processed to make heroin and other opioids, the release says.

It’s also considered a Schedule 1 drug, a classification used for the most high-risk drugs and substances under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

The four men now face charges of production of a controlled substance.