Edmonton cops seize 60,000 opium poppies

Cops have charged four after 60,000 opium poppy plants were found growing in a field behind a home on the northeast edge of Edmonton. Police believe the bust in July is the second-largest in Canadian history.

Nailed are Sukhdeep Dhanoa, 42, Sandeep Dandiwal, 33, Gurpreet Singh, 30, and Kulwinder Singh, 40. They are each charged with producing a controlled substance. Police also found additional poppy seeds and evidence the pink flowering crop was being turned into doda. Doda tea is highly addictive and illegal in Canada. It contains opium alkaloids, including morphine and codeine, and in high enough doses can be toxic. Commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, the papaver somniferum plants require special care and take months to grow.

The plants, with an estimated value of up to $500k, have been destroyed.