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  4. Dulles CBP Intercepts 78 Pounds of Khat

Dulles CBP Intercepts 78 Pounds of Khat

Release Date
Fri, 12/14/2018

Officers Seized Nearly a Ton of Khat Earlier this Year

STERLING, Virginia – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized 78 pounds of khat Tuesday near Washington Dulles International Airport.

Khat
Khat seized by CBP officers in air
cargo near Washington Dulles
International Airport.

CBP officers discovered a green leafy product December 4 in an air cargo shipment from Nigeria that was destined for Baltimore.  Officers submitted a sample to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) botanist who identified the substance Tuesday as Catha Edulis, commonly known as khat.

Khat is a green, leafy plant typically grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and is chewed for its stimulant effect.  The World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse in 1980.

Khat’s principal components are cathine and cathinone, considered controlled substances in the United States.  Cathinone, the major psychoactive component of khat, is present when the leaves are fresh.  The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies cathinone as a schedule 1 drug – the most restrictive category used by the DEA.  Please see more information on the DEA Khat Fact Sheet.

“Customs and Border Protection is our nation’s first line of defense against transnational criminal organizations that thrive on the sale of illicit products such as khat to fund their other nefarious businesses,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore.  “We will remain steadfast in our commitment to secure our homeland and to help protect the health and well-being of our families and the American public.”

This shipment contained about 78 pounds of Khat
This shipment contained
about 78 pounds of Khat.

CBP officers seized nearly a ton of khat earlier this year.  In September, CBP officers seized two khat loads with a combined weight of 799 pounds and another two khat loads with a combined weight of 984 pounds during July, all discovered during air cargo inspections at Dulles airport.

CBP routinely conducts inspection operations on arriving and departing international flights and intercepts narcotics, weapons, currency, prohibited agriculture products, counterfeit goods and other illicit items at our nation’s 328 international ports of entry.  Learn what CBP achieved on "A Typical Day" during 2017.

CBP's Border Security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations.  Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.

Learn more about CBP at CBP.gov.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021