Tons of poppies destroyed in California's biggest opium bust

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Northern California officials say they destroyed 17 tons of poppy plants in what they're calling the largest opium seizure in the state's history.

The Monterey County Herald reported Thursday that sheriff's deputies raided seven locations last week where the poppies were growing and being processed into opium, an active ingredient in heroin and other narcotics. An eighth location was raided earlier in the month.

Monterey County Sheriff Commander John Thornburg said the seizure and destruction of the plants is the largest opium raid in state history. He said no arrests have been made and the investigation continues. Thornburg said all the sites are on private property and investigators have been in contact with the owners.

Thornburg said investigators consulted a botanist to help identify the colorful flowers as illegal poppies.

This comes after another field of opium poppies was discovered in Moss Landing earlier this month.
The Drug Enforcement Administration says while opium poppies are used to make heroin, that doesn't happen in the United States. Instead the heroin in the U.S. largely comes from Mexico.

"The typical way the opium poppy is abused is the pod itself is used in the making of tea and this tea can be very dangerous and individuals can overdose," said DEA Special Agent Casey Rettig.
 
Rettig says this is the first time the flower has been found in the area since 2003.

The opium flowers were grown in a region where there are many legitimate flower-growing and wholesale businesses.

One grow site wasn't far from Lake Flower Shippers.

Employees here say those growers were simply farmers trying to sell the opium poppies for fresh-cut flowers, not for drugs.

"I don't think they were deliberately trying to do anything illegal. I think they're innocent people, just little growers growing flowers trying to make a living basically," said Dave Jacobs of Lake Flower Shippers.

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Information from: The Monterey County Herald, http://www.montereyherald.com