A man from Yan'an, Shaanxi Province was detained on suspicion of drug abuse after eating a bowl of noodles flavored with opium poppies, media reported on Tuesday.

Liu Juyou, 26, was released from a local detention facility on Thursday after 15 days in custody on drug abuse charges after he failed a urine test at a highway checkpoint.

Liu told police he had never taken drugs and suspected the trace amount may have come from a restaurant in nearby a township.

Liu's family later inquired at the restaurant and discovered the owner had spent 600 yuan ($98) on two kilograms of poppy shells in August.

The owner claimed he ground them into powder and added it to noodles in order to make them more addictive.

Despite Liu's claims of involuntary ingestion, police said he was still in breach of the law.

The restaurant owner was also detained for 10 days.