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  4. Dulles CBP intercepts Two Loads of Khat – Combined 984 Pounds – within 48 hours

Dulles CBP intercepts Two Loads of Khat – Combined 984 Pounds – within 48 hours

Release Date
Thu, 08/30/2018

STERLING, Va., – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized two loads of khat, with a combined weight of 984 pounds, in air cargo at Washington Dulles International Airport that recently arrived from Kenya.

khat
Khat that recently arrived from Kenya
at Washington Dulles International Airport

CBP officers discovered 468 pounds of the illicit narcotic July 6 that was concealed inside 24 boxes manifested as a herbal hair dye shipment.  Two days later, officers seized 518 pounds of khat also concealed in 20 boxes manifested as a herbal hair dye shipment.

Authorities made no arrests.  An investigation continues.

Officer detained the shipment and submitted a sample to CBP’s Laboratory and Scientific Services (LSS) lab in Savannah, Georgia, which confirmed the product as khat.

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

The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies khat as a schedule 1 narcotic – the most restrictive category used by the DEA – when the leaves are freshly picked.  Its principal components, cathine and cathinone, are considered controlled substances in the United States.

“Customs and Border Protection officers are the first line of defense against transnational criminal organizations that try to ship their dangerous and illicit narcotics into the United States.  We will remain vigilant and we will stand our ground,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore.  “We will continue to strengthen our resolve to secure our homeland in order to help keep our families and the American public safe.”

CBP’s Office of Field Operations

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.

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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 the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021