A routine speeding violation turned into another doda drug bust for the RCMP this week.
Mounties pulled over a car travelling on the Coquihalla Highway at 163 km/h in a 100 km/h zone, outside Kamloops, B.C. on Tuesday.
The suspicious officer called in a drug-detection dog that led him to 222 grams of doda – an opiate made from poppy seeds – that was found inside a backpack, a duffle bag, and the driver's side door.
The officer also found more than $10,000 in Canadian and U.S. cash on one of the men in the car.
Two Surrey, B.C., men, ages 29 and 31-years-old, face charges of possession of doda under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act.
Doda is often used to make a tea that is known to give the user a jolt of energy before eventually making them tired. Because it's an opiate, addiction to doda can be acute and can require a lengthy withdrawal program. Recovery can include tremors, panic attacks, vomiting, stomach cramps and loss of appetite. It is recognized as a major substance-abuse problem in the South Asian community, often used by truckers, taxi drivers and construction workers to keep alert during long shifts.
An opium poppy crop of 60,000 poppy plants was raided by RCMP in Chilliwack on Aug. 23. It was the largest doda seizure ever made in Canada.
