Four people are facing drug charges after police say a field of 60,000 opium poppy plants was discovered on a property in northeast Edmonton this summer.

It’s believed to be the second-largest seizure of opium poppy plants in Canada.

“We have never seen anything like this in the Edmonton region or in Alberta, I believe, for that matter,” Staff Sgt. Marco Antonio of the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) told reporters Tuesday.

Authorities believe the plants were being grown to sell on the illicit market or to produce doda powder, which is used in a “highly addictive” tea with analgesic effects.

Police estimate the crop was about a week away – five to seven days – from reaching the perfect timing for future processing when officers executed a search warrant on the property on Jul

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