When a Shorewood, Wisconsin resident was found dead from an overdose on May 18, 2021, the medical examiner found morphine, codeine, and thebaine in the person’s system and determined the cause of death was acute morphine intoxication.
The OD came about, according to the medical examiner, after the deceased had “consumed [a] very large amount of poppy seed tea,” according to previously unreported court filings .
Cops didn’t have to look far for a culprit. Five days earlier, the late tea drinker had allegedly received a package of unprocessed poppy seeds, delivered by UPS, from an Antony Graziano in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Investigators subpoenaed records from UPS and Stamps.com, which they claim showed that Graziano was a major supplier of the seeds throughout the U.S., hawking his wares on two now-defunct websites, www.fireseedbakerysupply.com and www.qualityingredientsus.com.
Graziano was arrested last June, and remains detained pending trial. In a statement to The Daily Beast, his attorney did not comment on details of the case but said: “We plan to protect his interests.”