Everyone loves flowers, but local officials in the city of Shimotsuma had to remove several thousand flowers and burn them. Why? Because they were illegal opium poppies flowers planted by volunteers.

The flowers were acutally grown for the annual flower festival in Shimotsuma city in Ibaraki prefecture.

Local officials were shocked to find large fields of opium poppies during a routine check.

Prefectural government officials suspect an accident.

“I’d say the opium poppies have been mixed in somehow with the imported poppy seeds”

Police narcotics experts were sent to examine the flowers on Monday and discovered that about one-fifth of the 5-hectare poppy field was opium poppies.

Source: Mainichi Japan

I bet the visitors to the flower festival must be disappointed to know that there will be no more “special” muffins to be sold at this year event. =P