NY men busted with 847 pounds of illegal khat at Maryland airport
MARYLAND - /
Two New York men traveling from London were stopped at a Maryland airport last week after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a massive haul of an illegal stimulant hidden in their luggage.
What we know:
According to CBP officials, the two U.S. citizens arrived at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) on August 13.
When officers referred the men to a secondary inspection, a baggage examination revealed what initially appeared to be a significant quantity of tea leaves packed inside 12 soft-sided suitcases, six belonging to each traveler.
Field tests quickly identified the plant material as khat (Catha edulis), an illegal stimulant. In total, the men were hauling 846 pounds and 9 ounces of the drug, carrying an estimated street value of $100,000.
CBP seized the narcotics and released the travelers pending further investigation.
‘Khat is illegal’
What they're saying:
The massive bust comes just days after a remarkably similar incident at BWI. Earlier in the week, CBP officers spooked another smuggler who fled the inspection station, abandoning his luggage containing 412 pounds of khat.
"Customs and Border Protection officers have observed substantial quantities of khat being smuggled in commercial shipments, but smuggling loads of this volume inside traveler baggage is a bit unusual, and not any more successful," said Adam Rottman, CBP’s Baltimore Area Port Director. "Khat is illegal and poses severe health risks to users. CBP will continue to seize khat and other dangerous drugs when we encounter it, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to hold smugglers accountable."
What is khat?
Dig deeper:
Known as "Abyssinian tea" or "African salad," khat is typically grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Users chew the leaves or boil them into a tea to achieve an amphetamine-like high.
According to the DEA, khat contains two central nervous system stimulants: cathinone, a Schedule I controlled substance, and cathine, a Schedule IV controlled substance. The World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse in 1980 due to its severe health risks. Symptoms of khat toxicity include delusions, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, and dangerous spikes in blood pressure and heart rate.
Federal authorities have cracked down heavily on the importation of the plant. CBP officers and agents seized approximately 46,000 pounds of khat during the last fiscal year and have already seized nearly 19,000 pounds in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.