STERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 678 pounds of khat shipped in air cargo from Nigeria at Washington Dulles International Airport on Monday.
in air cargo from Nigeria.
While examining air cargo on Sunday, CBP officers discovered foil-wrapped bundles of a green leafy material that was concealed within 18 boxes of a variety of “African fabric.” Officers suspected the plant material to be khat and requested that CBP agriculture specialists examine the material.
CBP agriculture specialists submitted samples to a U.S. Department of Agriculture botanist who confirmed the plant material as khat (Catha edulis).
Officers seized the khat, which weighed in at 312 kilograms, or 678 pounds and 13 ounces. The khat has a street value of about $85,000. The shipment was destined to an address in Essex County, N.J.
“This seizure of khat illustrates how our thorough inspections of international cargo helps to keep illicit and dangerous products out of our communities,” said Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office. “Narcotics interdiction remains a priority mission for Customs and Border Protection and a responsibility that we take very serious.”
Khat is 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.
and was destined to an address in New Jersey.
The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies cathinone as a schedule 1 drug – the most restrictive category used by the DEA, and cathine as a Schedule IV controlled substance. Read more from the DEA on Khat, and on the DEA Khat Fact Sheet.
CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo, and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
CBP seized an average of 3,707 pounds of dangerous drugs every day across the United States last year. Learn more about what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2019.
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.