Drugs before Independence Day
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently seized more than 345 kg of khat from Nigeria at Washington IAD. Officers initially examined two shipments after they arrived as air cargo aboard an Etihad Airways flight from the UAE. The shipments, manifested as clothing destined for Long Island, NY, contained dried plants confirmed as khat.
The shipments collectively rank as the port’s third largest khat seizure. It has a street value of about USD 100,000. Khat is typically grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and is chewed for its stimulant effect.
The WHO classified khat as a drug of abuse in 1980. The drug enforcement administration classifies cathinone as a schedule 1 drug, the most restrictive category used by the DEA, and cathine as a schedule IV controlled substance. (ah)