3 arrested, more than 1,000 lbs. of khat worth over $140,000 seized at Chicago O'Hare International Airport

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 1,000 pounds of the illegal stimulant khat at Chicago O'Hare International Airport in two busts last week.

CBP said on Aug. 19, two travelers from Senegal were going through customs at O'Hare before catching a connection to LaGuardia International Airport in New York City when officers found 167 packages of khat hiding khat inside pink plastic in their luggage during a secondary examination.

The next day, Aug. 20, another traveler from Senegal also had their luggage searched during a secondary examination, uncovering 93 packages of khat hidden in pink plastic bags and wrapped in foil, CBP said.

In total, 1,172 pounds of khat was seized from the three travelers in the two busts, CBP said. All three were arrested and are charged with trafficking a controlled substance and the manufacture or delivery of more than 200 grams of a Schedule I and II controlled substance.

Border Patrol said the khat had a street value of more than $140,000.

Khat, also known as Abyssinian tea and African salad, is a plant that is typically grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, officials said. Users usually chew it for an effect similar to amphetamines, or it is dried and boiled to create a stimulant tea.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said khat contains two central nervous system stimulants: cathinone, a Schedule I controlled substance, and cathine, a Schedule IV controlled substance. Too much khat can cause toxicity, with symptoms that include delusions, loss of appetite, trouble breathing, increased blood pressure and increased heart rate.

The World Health Organization first classified khat as a drug of abuse in 1980.

CBP said they have seen an increase in khat being smuggled into the U.S. in traveler's luggage, including recent seizures at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Dulles International Airport.