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Pavel Burian

December 28, 2020 Politics

Czech customs seize 462 kg of khat

Czech customs seize 462 kg of  khat - Czech Points

Customs officers seized 462 kilograms of the drug khat at Václav Havel Airport in Prague.

Customs found the drug in a cargo shipment from Dubai. It was destined for one recipient. Shipments with edible executioners have been detained by customs officers at Prague Airport several times, but such a large amount is exceptional.

The dried plant was in paper boxes. Experts confirmed that the shipment is Catha edulis – Khat edible plant, which contains the alkaloid cathinone, an illegal stimulant in the Czech Republic. The import or export of these substances is a criminal offense.

In February this year, a foreigner who flew a flight from Doha, Qatar, tried to smuggle 45 kilograms of edible khat into the Czech Republic. Last November, customs officers detained 142 kilograms in seven suitcases from Tel Aviv. Two weeks earlier, a man flying from Dubai had 33 kilograms of the drug in his luggage, and in September 2019, another man was carrying 40 kilograms from Tel Aviv.

Edible kata is a tree or shrub grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It contains substances that have stimulant effects similar to those of amphetamines. The most used parts of plants are young shoots and leaves, which are chewed similarly to chewing tobacco. Long-term excessive use of kata is the cause of mental problems and other diseases.