Delivering poppy seed pods is not funny
At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, CBP agriculture specialists and officers examining arriving international cargo inspected a shipment of manifested “dried flowers.” Inside the packages, they found 2.5 kg of Papaver sp. or poppy seed pods.
Since pods such as these are considered propagative material and are prohibited entry, they were ultimately seized by CBP officers. Poppy seed pods are a source of opium, which is a DEA Schedule II controlled substance considered to have a high potential for abuse and may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
One week later, CBP officers discovered an additional 2.5 kg of poppy seed pods in another shipment of “dried flowers” arriving from UK and seized these items as well. (cj)