see also: in December 2008:   CBP Lists Top 10 Enforcement Events of 2008   CBP Seizes $200K in Undeclared Currency; Arrest 1 at Texas Port   Marfa Sector Agents Apprehend Murder Suspect   San Ysidro Port Modernization Deployment Temporarily Reduces Lanes   Border Patrol Agents Assist in Locating Distressed Individual   CBP Officers Stop Man at Michigan Border Crossing Wanted for Aggravated Sexual Assault ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers on the web:   DEA Khat Fact Sheet

contacts for this news release

Philadelphia – Like a child busily unwrapping holiday gifts to reveal the latest popular video game, digital music player, sports or concert tickets, or jewelry, Customs and Border Protection officers here have been busily opening international air mail parcels during December and revealing another kind of surprise – 312 pounds of khat, an illegal amphetamine-like narcotic.

CBP officers seized 12 parcels of khat during December, including two parcels that were destined for Philadelphia, which arrived to the international air mail facility. The khat had a combined weight of 312.7 pounds and an estimated street value of as much as $85,000.

Most recently, CBP officers seized two parcels, packed with 27 pounds and 26 pounds of khat, which were destined for Philadelphia. Both arrived on a flight from the Netherlands on December 18 and December 19, respectively. CBP officers seized a second parcel on December 18, that arrived on a flight from Germany. It was packed with 25.1 pounds of khat and was destined for Portland, Maine.

“Khat is considered as equally addictive and as dangerous as cocaine and marijuana, and it remains illegal in the United States,” said Allan Martocci, CBP port director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “Our officers are expertly skilled at targeting suspicious international mail parcels and they take great pleasure in keeping these damaging narcotics off our cities’ streets.”

Khat is a green, leafy plant harvested in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and is chewed for its stimulant effect. It’s principal components, cathine and cathinone, are considered 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. It retains its maximum potency typically within 48 hours after harvest hence the use of international express air mail. The DEA estimates khat’s street value at $300 to $600 per kilogram.

Smugglers ship khat to Europe where it is placed aboard international air mail and cargo aircraft flying to various mail distribution hubs in the United States.

December 17 was the busiest day for CBP offices as they intercepted five parcels of khat. Two parcels that arrived from the Netherlands were destined for Harrisburg, Pa. They weighed 27 pounds and 26.6 pounds. Two parcels that arrived from France were destined for Wheeling, W.V., and were packed with 24.2 pounds and 21.9 pounds. The fifth parcel, 25.9 pounds of khat, arrived from Germany and was destined for Norcross, Ga.

One parcel arrived on December 16 from Germany and was destined for Portland, Me., and weighed 21.5 pounds. One parcel arrived on December 11 from France and was destined for Woodbury, Minn., and weighed 38.6 pounds. One parcel arrived on December 6 from the Netherlands and was destined for Minnesota and weighted 19.3 pounds. The month’s first parcel arrived on December 4 from France and was destined for Atlanta. It contained 29.9 pounds of khat.

CBP officers at the Philadelphia Express Consignment facility pour over dozens of international shipment manifests representing thousands of packages that arrive daily from overseas origins to determine which packages require further scrutiny. Officers sometimes find and seize illicit narcotics, counterfeit consumer goods, counterfeit checks or documents, or other monetary instruments.

“Because of the quickly diminishing potency of this narcotic, smugglers tend to rely on express mail services to transport their illicit product to their users in the States. Unfortunately for the smugglers, the CBP officers and agriculture specialists who inspect international air mail parcels in Philadelphia are one of the best in the nation at detecting and intercepting illegal and prohibited parcels,” said Martocci.

Khat was classified as a drug of abuse by the World Health Organization in 1980. For additional information on khat, please see the DEA Khat Fact Sheet. ( DEA Khat Fact Sheet )

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.