More than $124K In Khat Drug Seized At DFW International Airport
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport seized a shipment of khat over the weekend valued at $124,670.
During an inspection on Aug. 25, CBP officers examined a shipment manifested as personal effects from Nairobi, Kenya destined for Columbus, Ohio. The examination revealed a dry, green, leafy substance packed in plastic bags weighing 445 pounds.
"Intercepting drugs and disrupting transnational criminal activity remains a CBP enforcement priority," said CBP Dallas Area Port Director Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr. "This seizure is indicative of CBP officers' commitment to intercepting the flow of narcotics smuggling through our ports of entry."
Khat is a green, leafy plant used for its stimulant effect. The World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse in 1980. The chemicals found in khat are controlled under the Controlled Substances Act as either a Schedule I narcotic – its most restrictive category or a schedule IV stimulant depending on its form.
On a typical day in fiscal year 2017, CBP officers around the country seized more than 9000 pounds of drugs along our nation's borders.
The seized shipment will be destroyed.
The seizure was all in a day's work for CBP officers, who routinely perform inspection operations on international passengers and cargo to intercept narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, counterfeit goods and other illicit products.
