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PORTSMOUTH — State police have arrested a man suspected by federal authorities of being a top regional distributor of the drug khat.
They are calling the arrest and seizure of 14 pounds of the narcotic — which is chewed and has an amphetamine-like affect — a first for Granite State law enforcement.
On Sunday morning at about 3:20 a.m., Trooper Bob Larcome stopped a vehicle driven by Mohmed Osman Ahmed, 40, of 150 Walnut Ave. in Roxbury, Mass. on Interstate 95 southbound in Hampton for a motor vehicle violation.
Preliminary inspection of the vehicle and Ahmed led Larcome to believe that some type of illegal activity was taking place.
Larcome, along with Trooper Gary Ingham then conducted a search of Ahmed's vehicle, where they found 14 pounds of the controlled amphetamine stuffed inside a canvas bag.
 Courtesy photo Fourteen pounds of the drug known as khat was seized by the State Police in a routine motor vehicle stop southbound on Interstate 95 on Sunday. |
"This is not commonly seen in this area," said Carr.
He added that the drug is a stimulant that looks like rhubarb and can be either be ingested by chewing or by drinking in tea-form.
Khat, also pronounced "cot," is a plant primarily cultivated in Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and active ingredients in the drug include cathinone, a stimulant classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, and cathine, which is classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance, according to state police.
 Courtesy photo Three bundles of khat seized during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 95. |
Users of khat chew the leaves and young shoots of the plant, swallowing the juice and storing the residue in the side of the mouth. The primary effects of chewing khat are mild euphoria and stimulation.
Khat traffickers are believed to utilize two principal techniques to import the drug from overseas for further distribution which includes, human couriers who fly on commercial aircraft with suitcases containing khat and also through express mail deliveries, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The seized plants were submitted to the State Police Forensic Lab on Monday morning for analysis and Carr said lab personnel suspect this is the first such seizure of this type of controlled drug in the state.
 Courtesy photo A single bundle of the drug known as khat. |
The Department of Justice release states that in July of 2006 Ahmed was named as a co-defendant in an indictment from the United States Attorney's office. The indictment announced the takedown of an international narcotics trafficking enterprise responsible for smuggling more than 25 tons of khat from Africa into the United States.
Ahmed, also known as "Mohamed Sharif," or "Halloween" is believed to be one of 44 members of the trafficking organization known as "the Organization" and was involved in the trafficking of nearly $10 million worth of the drug.
The indictment charged all 44 members of "the Organization" with conspiracy to commit khat-trafficking crimes and if convicted they each face a sentence of 20 years' imprisonment.
 Courtesy photo Mohmed Osman Ahmed |
As a result of the routine traffic stop, Ahmed was arrested and posted bail in the amount of $5,000 cash. He is being charged with a felony for possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute.
Ahmed is to be arraigned in Hampton District Court on April 4.
"Our goal is to educate the public as to what the drug looks like and to also educate the law enforcement community as well," said Carr.
"This is not something we've run into a lot," he said. "This is the first time that I know of."
SOURCE: Fosters, March 5, 2008