ASHEVILLE, N.C. – An Asheville man was sentenced to 27 months in prison for a drug offense involving unwashed poppy seeds, according to a news release.
According to court documents, 34-year-old Daniel Childers conspired to distribute unwashed poppy seeds.
Unwashed poppy seeds are different from commercially available poppy seeds. Consumers of unwashed poppy seeds generally steep the seeds in hot water, which produces a narcotic “tea” that contains opiates such as morphine, codeine, and thebaine.
Court records show that in June 2021, Childers contacted a wholesale supplier of unwashed poppy seeds and became a vendor for the seeds.
Law enforcement officials say Childers allegedly began to sell the seed online through a website he created for his business, “OrganaSeedSupply LLC”. OrganaSeed reportedly purported to sell baking goods supplies and serviced, including poppy seeds for commercial use.
Contrary to the website’s claims, Childers exclusively sold unwashed poppy seeds and only listed the other products and services to appear legitimate. Court documents show that Childers obtained pallets of seeds from his supplier, each containing over 1,000 pounds of unwashed poppy seeds. In turn, Childers sold the unwashed poppy seeds online in various size bags, with one pound of seeds costing between $45 and $50.
As Childers previously admitted in court documents, Childers knew that his customers would use the poppy seeds to make opiate tea and warned his customers that the seeds contained “opiate alkaloid residue.” In July 2023, Childers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a material used to make a controlled substance.
