Chinese eatery spiked noodles with opium

YAN'AN, China, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The owner of a Chinese noodle restaurant admitted to adding opium ingredients to dishes to hook customers after a diner was detained.

Police said customer Liu Juyou, 26, was arrested Sept. 3 when a routine urine test during a drunken driving screening tested positive for opium use and he spent 15 days behind bars until family members helped him test out his theory that he had been served spiked noodles.

Family members went back to the restaurant and tested their own urine after eating. They informed police when they found they were testing positive for opium use.

Police said the owner of the eatery, identified only as Zhang, was brought in for questioning and he admitted to spiking his dishes with parts of a poppy plant, the main ingredient in opium, to keep customers coming back for more.

Liu was released and the charges against him were dropped.