Dude Rats Himself Out & Cops Nail Him For Growing $500 Million In Opium Poppy Plants

By Raychelle Muhammad
|
May 31, 2017

"I guess you are here for the opium."

When police showed up at Cody Xiong's front door, he thought for sure that they were going to arrest him for growing opium poppy plants illegally--so he confessed. Ironically, he was being investigated for a completely unrelated charge and would probably still be in the drug game if he had just kept his mouth shut.

The 37-year old resident of Catawba County was suspected of cockfighting. Over 358 neglected animals, 80 of which were chickens, were removed from his home . This didn't include the 40 dead animals found still locked in cages. But that's nothing compared to the 2,000 pounds of poppy plants that covered the 1-acre plot out back.

It is estimated that the poppies, which are used to make opiates like morphine, codeine, and heroin, are worth $500 million. Unless you are registered with the FDA as a legal drug manufacturer, you cannot be in possession of the plant. Xiong wasn't registered.

It's unclear how long Xiong has been in business, but he could have continued indefinitely since the home is located on a dead-end, unpaved road in the Claremont foothills. "It was out there," Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid said. "Only residents know that it is out there at the end of the road. It wasn't something you could just ride by."

Xiong now faces federal felony charges of manufacturing a Schedule II drug and trafficking opium, but he is currently free on a $45,000 bond. Reid believes this to be the extent of Xiong's involvement in the scheme. "The plants are being harvested here and sent somewhere else where the opium is being produced from the plant," he said.

No word about what penalties Xiong faces related to the animals found at the home, but clearly this matter will take a back seat to the drug investigation. To plant, harvest, and ship such huge quantities of an illegal plant requires far more personnel than a team of one. This is a pretty serious operation and Xiong's bust is just the tip of the iceberg.