Pubdate: Fri, 14 Mar 2003
Source: Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register (WV)
Copyright: 2003 The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register
Contact:  http://www.intellnews.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1633
Author: Justin D. Anderson

TWO SOMALIANS FOUND WITH KHAT, $3,587 CASH

Two legal immigrants from Somalia had 62 bundles of a naturally occurring 
stimulant known as khat (pronounced "cot") seized from their 2003 Dodge 
Caravan by a West Virginia State Police trooper Thursday.

The seizure occurred at approximately 11:25 p.m. near exit 5 on Interstate 
70. The drug is illegal in the United States, however, it is legal in many 
European and Africa counties and is popular among Muslims who use it to 
ward off hunger when fasting during religious observances. Osman Abdi, 42, 
and Shukri Abdi, 50, were released, due to the state police laboratory's 
inability to adequately field test the substance. Neither have been 
formally charged. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service were 
contacted and verified that the two were in the country legally.

"An agent from the (Drug Enforcement Administration) should be coming up 
here to get a sample of this stuff," said Trooper J. L. Shelton, the 
officer responsible for the seizure. "The sample will be taken to 
Washington, D.C."

Shelton said if the results are positive for the properties of khat, 
federal indictments will be issued and the U.S. Marshal Service will be 
responsible for bringing the Abdis in. It is unclear if the two men are 
related.

The incident resulting in the seizure involved the suspect vehicle 
traveling at a high rate of speed on I-70. Shelton initiated a traffic stop 
near exit 5. The driver, Osman Abdi, was removed from the vehicle and 
provided written consent for a search to Shelton. The bundles of the 
substance, as well as $3,587, in cash, were found and seized and the two 
were released.

According to DEA literature, Khat is derived from the Catha edulis shrub, 
primarily cultivated in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The use of 
the drug is "an established cultural tradition for many social situations 
in those regions."

Individuals of East African and Middle Eastern descent "are most 
responsible for the importation, distribution, possession and use of khat 
in the United States."

The Thursday night incident marks the second time khat has been seized in 
West Virginia. In June, 2002, $14,000 worth of the substance was seized. 
Officers today did not give the names of those involved in the first 
incident, but said they pleaded guilty and are currently serving a one-year 
sentence in a federal penitentiary.

"We really hadn't seen or heard about this stuff too much until that first 
arrest," Shelton said.

To obtain the effects of the plant, it is chewed like tobacco, Shelton 
said. It has to be frozen in order to ensure freshness.

"Khat is usually shipped already packaged into bundles and wrapped in 
plastic bags or banana peels to retain moisture and freshness," The DEA 
literature claims. "Khat is generally smuggled in passenger luggage, 
overnight express or shipped as air cargo and falsely labeled as 'vegetables.'

"Khat is an important part of the economy of many producer countries, 
particularly Somalia and Yemen."

Yemen press reports that Yemeni consumers spend an average of $2 billion 
annually on the substance. The substance has been used in place of alcohol 
by Muslims.

The abuse of the substance can result in symptoms similar to amphetamine 
addiction: physical exhaustion, violence and suicidal tendencies.

Common side effects include anorexia, tachycardiac hypertension, insomnia 
and gastric disorders.

In 2001, 37.2 metric tons of khat were seized at U.S. ports of entry, 
according to DEA data.

This was up from 17.6 metric tons in 1996.

The DEA also reports that the use of khat is not likely to expand beyond 
the use by ethnic Somalian, Ethiopian, Yemeni and Eritrean communities.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager