see also: in April 2008:   U. S. Customs and Border Protection Seizes $1.3 Million Worth of Counterfeit Cigarettes   Border Patrol Launches Rhode Island Search   Border Patrol Agent Search Launches in Atlanta   Two Weeks = Two Tons of Marijuana Seized at Arizona Port of Entry   CBP Officers in Texas Find $3 Million Worth of Dope in 'Empty' Sea Container   New Jersey CBP Officers Make $4 Million Heroin Candy Bar Bust   Border Patrol Agents Locate More Than Half Ton of Marijuana ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this news release

Philadelphia – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers examining mail shipments arriving from foreign origins at the Philadelphia Express Consignment facility seized six packages this week containing over 81 pounds of Khat, a leafy plant typically found in East Africa and the Saudi Arabian Peninsula that contains an amphetamine-like stimulant. The Khat has a street value of over $22,000.

Four separate packages arrived today, two from the Netherlands, destined for Washington, D.C.; and two from Germany destined for Philadelphia, Pa. Two packages additional packages arrived Tuesday from the Netherlands and were destined for a postal address in Georgia.

These recent seizures raise the total Khat that CBP officers have intercepted in Philadelphia this year to 306 pounds, an estimated street value of $165,430. The Drug Enforcement Administration statistics indicate that Khat has a street value of up to $600 per kilo. During 2007, CBP officers here seized 2.5 tons of Khat with an approximate street value of about $800,000.

Khat was classified as a drug of abuse by the World Health Organization in 1980. Its principal components, cathine and cathinone, are controlled substances in the United States. The DEA classifies Khat as a schedule I narcotic—the most restrictive category used by the DEA—when the leaves are freshly picked, which is typically within 48 hours of harvest.

"Khat may be seen as acceptable in other parts of the world, but it is most certainly illegal in the United States,” said CBP Chief Entry Officer Lou Domenico. “People should think twice before shipping Khat to the States. At the very least we’ll seize the packages, but the recipient risks jail time and fines".

CBP officers at the Philadelphia Express Consignment facility are ranked sixth nationally in targeting effectiveness of all Express Consignment Cargo Operations (ECCO) priority seizures. They pour over dozens of international shipment manifests representing thousands of packages that arrive daily from overseas origins to determine which packages require further scrutiny. About 93 percent of packages they examined resulted in seized narcotics, counterfeit consumer good, counterfeit checks or documents, or other monetary instruments.

"These officers continue to deliver amazing successes at interdicting illicit packages entering the U.S. at our air cargo hub," said Allan Martocci, CBP assistant port director for Tactical Operations in Philadelphia. “Their efforts safeguard American citizens, protect our nation’s economy, and protect the intellectual property rights of American companies."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.