U.S. seizes more khat in the mail

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia this week intercepted six packages containing khat, a leafy chewable stimulant grown and widely used in East Africa and the Arabian peninsula that agents say they are seizing here with increasing frequency.

The packages, which each contained about 12 pounds of khat, had been shipped from the Netherlands and Germany to destinations in Philadelphia, Washington and Georgia. Customs officials intercepted the packages at the Philadelphia Express Consignment facility, where customs agents screen thousands of air-shipped packages daily.

The seizures increased the total amount of khat intercepted in Philadelphia this year to 306 pounds with an estimated street value of $83,000, said Stephen Sapp, a customs spokesman. Last year, customs officers seized 2.5 tons of khat in Philadelphia.

The U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Service declined to pursue the intended recipients of the drugs, and the packages will be held and destroyed, said Sapp.

Khat is a mild, addictive stimulant that has gained a following among some cab drivers in the United States. Philadelphia police in September seized 740 pounds of khat in a house in East Falls.

Khat is banned in the United States because it contains the stimulant cathinone when it is fresh - less than 48 hours old. When it is dry - as most of the drug is by the time it arrives in the United States - it contains cathine, a less-potent narcotic.