... the fields once or twice during that time. When the plants are mature, the farmers start harvesting opium gum using primitive, unsanitary tools, made from whatever can be found nearby. The tools are often handed down from generation to generation. Just before reaching maturity, the poppy plant produces a flower. ... in furniture. In an extreme example, recently a border patrol unit in Texas found about $5 million worth of narcotics stuffed in human body parts "legs, arms, and intestines "that had been stolen from a hospital. The traffickers said this was to hide the drugs' smell from dr...

• Word Count: 3024
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate