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Two travelers arriving from London allegedly packed nearly 850 pounds of khat into 12 suitcases before the massive haul was uncovered by customs officers at a Maryland airport.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the two U.S. citizens from New York arrived at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Aug. 13 and were referred for secondary inspection.
During a subsequent baggage examination, officers discovered what appeared to be a large quantity of tea leaves, which later tested positive for khat, or Catha edulis, according to CBP.
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Authorities said each traveler had six soft-sided suitcases filled with khat. The seized material weighed approximately 847 pounds and had an estimated street value of about $100,000.
The men were released pending further investigation, CBP said.
Khat, also known as Abyssinian tea and African salad, is typically grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and is chewed for its amphetamine-like effects, according to CBP. Dried khat leaves can also be boiled to make a stimulant tea.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), khat contains two central nervous system stimulants — cathinone, a Schedule I controlled substance, and cathine, a Schedule IV controlled substance.
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Symptoms of khat toxicity can include delusions, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing and increased blood pressure and heart rate, according to the DEA.
The World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse in 1980.
The discovery came just days after CBP officers seized another 412 pounds of khat from unclaimed traveler baggage at the same airport.
In that case, CBP said officers “spooked” a suspected smuggler, who fled the inspection station and left the khat behind.
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“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,” CBP’s Baltimore Area Port Director Adam Rottman said in a statement.
“Khat is illegal and poses severe health risks to users,” Rottman continued. “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.”
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CBP officers seized roughly 46,000 pounds of khat last fiscal year and nearly 20,000 pounds during the current fiscal year so far, according to the agency.