Suspects who grew opium, cannabis say “They are pretty..”
Confiscated opium poppies and cannabis
Donghae Coast Guard Korea (Chief Officer Choi Jae-pyeong) booked without detention Seo (64), Ahn (58), Choi (71) and Shim (72) on June 27 for secretly growing opium and cannabis, which infringes upon laws regarding handling of narcotic drugs.
Seo and Ahn were each charged with growing 368 and 134 opium poppies respectively at nooks of their vegetable gardens far from sight. They explained to the police that “we received seeds of the plants from our acquaintance, and planted them to enjoy them as garden decoration.”
Choi and Shim were each charged with illegally harvesting 134 and 110 cannabis respectively behind their green houses. They also said to the police that “The seeds flew and landed on our lots,” but the police found the remark suspicious as they noticed that the narcotic plants were planted in a neat, linear fashion.
An associate from Donghae Coast Guard said, “Senior citizens normally have a misunderstanding that opium and cannabis are effective in gardening as well as for formulating household medicines.” The police plans to pay close watch on regions suspicious of the secret growing of narcotic drugs, as the country welcomes a season of blooming.