On July 4, 2025, the EDGE Section executed a search warrant on a property in the area of 34 Street and 195 Avenue NW. It was believed that opium plants were being grown behind the residence and that’s where officers discovered approximately 60,000 poppies. The field has an estimated value of $160,000 to $500,000. During the two-day investigation, officers also located additional poppy seeds and doda power, which is made by grinding opium poppy pods and is used to make a type of tea with analgesic effects that can be highly addictive.
Opium is a flowering plant which contains the powerful analgesic alkaloid morphine and can be processed to make heroin and other opioids. Under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, it’s a Schedule 1 which is reserved for the most high-risk drugs and substances.
Aerial photo of poppy field
Image of poppy field
Image of doda powder
“An opium grow of this size is rarely encountered in Canada and even though there was no indicia of further processing, due to the volume of plants, it was likely being grown to be sold on the illicit market,” says S/Sgt. Marco Antonio of the EDGE Section. “Any opioid drug, including doda, consumed outside the direction of a doctor or when illicitly produced, can pose significant health risks to the consumer, leading to severe addiction and harm to the community.”
Sukhdeep Dhanoa, 42, Sandeep Dandiwal, 33, Gurpreet Singh, 30, and Kulwinder Singh, 40, are each charged with Production of a Controlled Substance, contrary to Section 7(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.