US CBP seizes 139 pounds of Ethiopian khat destined to Sacramento

The Ethiopian national soccer team didn’t qualify for the World Cup this year, but another product from Ethiopia did reach the United States only to be seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport on June 4.

CBP officers seized about 139 pounds of khat that was being shipped in air cargo from Ethiopia to Sacramento, Calif. The khat, which had a street value of about $17,000, was destroyed.

CBP agriculture specialists initially discovered the khat while inspecting a shipment manifested as a variety of spices. The shipment contained 102 boxes of which 10 boxes contained leafy plant material. CBP agriculture specialists submitted samples to a U.S. Department of Agriculture botanist who confirmed the plant material as khat (Catha edulis).

Khat, known as Abyssinian tea and African salad, is typically grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and is chewed for its amphetamine-like effect. Users also boil dried khat leaves to create a stimulant tea. 

According to the DEA, khat contains two central nervous system stimulants, cathinone and cathine. Cathinone, considered to be the principal active stimulant, is structurally similar to d-amphetamine, and cathinone levels are at its highest when khat is harvested. The DEA classifies cathinone as a schedule 1 drug. It has no currently accepted medical use and it has a high potential for abuse. Cathine is classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance.

Symptoms of khat toxicity include delusions, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. The World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse in 1980.

“The khat plant is prohibited from being imported to the United States because its active chemical ingredients are controlled substances,” said Christine Waugh, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Narcotics interdiction along our nation’s borders remains a priority enforcement mission for Customs and Border Protection, and seizing illicit and potentially dangerous substances is one way in which CBP officers can help to keep our communities safe.”