Canada’s largest opium poppy grow-op busted in B.C.’s Fraser Valley
Published On Thu Aug 26 2010

The Canadian Press

CHILLIWACK, B.C.—Mounties have wiped out a field of opium poppies in the Fraser Valley in a first-of-its kind drug bust that’s also revealed a much larger problem within the South Asian community.

Police believe the flowers were meant to make the drug doda, which gives its users an opium-like high and is said to be commonly used by taxi and truck drivers.

Chilliwack RCMP say the illegal crop on almost three hectares was the largest opium poppy field ever found in Canada and the 60,000 mature plants were almost ready to harvest.

Cpl. Lea-Anne Dunlop said investigators acted on a tip and went out to the field, but they didn’t know much about opium poppies and had to do their research just to obtain a warrant.

Their next concern was to act quickly, she said.

“We came to learn that these actual pods full of seeds, once they mature, they can burst and the seeds can spread,â€