Pubdate: Wed, 02 May 2012
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Stewart Bell

KHAT USED TO FUND TERRORISM: U.K. PROBE

The leafy stimulant khat has been smuggled into Canada in bongo drums,
golf bags, boxes labelled "technical manuals" and "telecommunications
equipment," airline luggage, courier packages and mail.

But while khat smuggling has become a nuisance crime for Canadian
authorities, who seize around 20,000 kilograms of it every year, a
series of arrests in Britain on Tuesday suggests it is now being used
to fundraise for terrorism.

Counterterrorism police raided four homes in London, Cardiff and
Coventry as part of what Scotland Yard described as "a pre-planned,
intelligence-led operation into suspected fundraising for terrorism
overseas."

Six men and a woman were arrested on charges they were part of a
network that had been exporting khat to Canada and the United States
to fundraise for terrorism. "The searches are ongoing and there have
been no arrests at these premises and inquiries continue,"
Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

The arrests suggest that at least some khat users in Canada may be
unwittingly bankrolling terrorists. British news outlets speculated
the arrests were linked to Al Shabab, the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist
group that has been fighting to impose its harsh version of Islamic
law on Somalis.

Although illegal in Canada, khat remains popular among some African
immigrants. Much of the khat smuggled to Canada originates in the Horn
of Africa and is smuggled through London, where it is not a banned
narcotic.

"The majority of khat users in Canada are found in the Somali, Yemeni,
Ethiopian and Kenyan communities predominantly located in Ontario and
Quebec, and to a lesser extent in Alberta and British Columbia," reads
the RCMP's latest annual drug situation report.

"Traditionally, khat has been used by these populations as part of
celebrations and social gatherings. Freshly cultivated khat leaves are
chewed to induce a state of euphoria and elation comparable to that of
a very mild cocaine or amphetamine high."

Ahmad Hussen of the Canadian Somali Congress said he was not surprised
terrorists were profiting from khat. He said the arrests would deter
Somali-Canadians from chewing the substance "but only if this
information reaches them. They have to become aware of this new source
of funding for Al Shabab for them to turn away from khat."

The RCMP only began reporting khat seizures in 2000. But khat now
accounts for the largest volume of drug seizures by weight than any
other narcotic except marijuana. The Canada Border Services Agency
seized 50 kilograms of khat at Edmonton International Airport on March
7. At Calgary International Airport, 60 kilograms was seized on Jan.
30 and on Jan. 19 another 30 kilograms was found.

A 2006 report by Canada's Integrated Threat Assessment Centre said
"some part of the proceeds involved in the global khat trade possibly
finances terrorism." The primary sources of khat were countries, the
report said, that had "experienced significant terrorist activity."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D