Khat smugglers deported

Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection



That’s not socks and underwear! Police and customs officials found 95 pounds of a euphoric plant called khat in luggage at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport in December. Two British men pleaded guilty last week to trying to smuggle the narcotic drug into BWI.

Two British men have been deported after pleading guilty in county court last week to trying to smuggle 95 pounds of a euphoric plant called "khat" through customs at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Leahy and Storer were nabbed Dec. 5 with khat, an amphetaminelike, green, leafy plant typically grown in the Arabian Peninsula and popular with people from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen. When fresh, the Drug Enforcement Administration considers the drug a Schedule I narcotic like heroin.Police and prosecutors, however, rarely treat smugglers of khat - pronounced "cot" - like those who are caught with other narcotics.
Steve Sapp, a Customs and Border Protection spokesman, noted that most khat smugglers are simply ordered to return to the airport from which they came and told not to come back to the United States.
"Prosecution, whether at the federal or state level, is generally declined," he said, applauding county prosecutors for pursuing the cases against Leahy and Storer. "Anne Arundel County exercised initiative and successfully prosecuted khat smugglers, identifying (the drug) for what it is: an illegal narcotic."Kristin Fleckenstein, a spokeswoman for the State's Attorney Office, said it is "tricky" to prosecute khat smugglers.
"Khat is very much a new drug ... and one that many people are unfamiliar with, including prosecutors, police officers, lab technicians and judges," she said, recalling only one other case involving khat in the county.The last time county prosecutors saw khat was in December 2006, when police and customs officers seized 78 pounds of the drug off a passenger getting off a plane from London's Heathrow Airport.The biggest problem is how fast khat deteriorates, Fleckenstein said. In as little as 48 hours, one of the active drugs in khat can degrade, changing it from a Schedule I narcotic to a less serious Schedule IV narcotic.But thanks to quick lab work in the county's past khat cases, county prosecutors have secured three straight convictions, she said.Catherine Anne Paul, 30, of San Diego, pleaded guilty in May 2007 to one count of possession of khat with intent to distribute. She was sentenced to one year in prison with all but two months she had already spent behind bars suspended, and was allowed to return to California.Leahy and Storer, both of London, pleaded guilty Feb. 24 to possession of khat with intent to distribute as part of a plea agreement with the state. Each was sentenced to 81 days - which he had already served - and deported.While khat seizures are relatively rare in Maryland, customs officers at other airports with more active international terminals regularly find the drug.Sapp noted that officers seized 51 packages on Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. In all, they netted 670 pounds of the drug."We're certainly being kept busy with it," he said.

On the rise

Khat - also known as gat, graba, Somali tea and tschat - has been on the rise in the United States for several years. The U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Intelligence Center put out a bulletin in May 2003 warning that khat was becoming increasingly available on U.S. streets.According to the center, fresh khat typically is chewed and then held in the cheek until the juices are extracted. Dried khat can be brewed into tea or made into a chewable paste.The center specifically listed Washington, D.C., among 10 cities where khat is popular. Other cities include Boston, Los Angeles Columbus, Ohio, and Kansas City, Mo.The DEA estimates khat's street value at about $300 per kilogram. Leahy and Storer had about $13,000 worth of the drug in their possession, Sapp said.Khat can lead to mild depression following periods of prolonged use, and when taken in excess it can cause extreme thirst, hyperactivity, insomnia and loss of appetite, the center said. Repeated use can cause manic behavior, paranoia and hallucinations.When fresh, khat leaves are glossy and crimson-brown, resembling withered basil. They turn leathery and yellow-green as they age.Fleckenstein said the county is ready and willing to prosecute more khat smugglers and even users.
"Whenever we get word that a new illegal drug is making its way potentially onto our streets, of course police and prosecutors are going to have their radar up," she said. "It is something we are aware of that it is creeping into the area, and it is certainly something we are on the lookout for."