A 26-year-old Saskatoon man who was charged with unlawfully importing opium and possession for the purpose of trafficking appeared in Provincial Court Thursday morning and will remain in police custody for now.

Gabar Choli, originally from Iran, was arrested after two packages containing 1844 grams of opium were intercepted by Canada Border Services Agency in Montreal, Quebec on Aug. 2.

The two packages were sent to an address in Saskatoon from an address in Turkey, the packages were seized in Montreal and an investigation by the Saskatoon Integrated Drug Unit (SIDU) began.

According to a release from the Saskatoon Police Service, On Aug. 7, officers with SIDU and members of the Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at homes in the 800 block of 32nd Street West, and the 400 block of 29th Street West. This is when Choli was taken into custody and charged.

Choli, will be back in court Friday at 10:30 a.m.