Dulles CBP seizes 139 pounds of Ethiopian khat destined to Sacramento

[rangerrebew]

Dulles CBP seizes 139 pounds of Ethiopian khat destined to Sacramento
Release Date Wed, 06/17/2026

STERLING, Va. – The Ethiopian national soccer team didn’t qualify for the World Cup this year, but another product from Ethiopia did reach the United States only to be seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Washington Dulles International Airport on June 4.

CBP officers seized about 139 pounds of khat that was being shipped in air cargo from Ethiopia to Sacramento, Calif. The khat, which had a street value of about $17,000, was destroyed.

CBP seized 139 pounds of khat at Washington Dulles International Airport on June 4, 2026.
CBP agriculture specialists discovered 139 pounds of khat in a shipment of spices from Ethiopia.
CBP agriculture specialists initially discovered the khat while inspecting a shipment manifested as a variety of spices. The shipment contained 102 boxes of which 10 boxes contained leafy plant material. CBP agriculture specialists submitted samples to a U.S. Department of Agriculture botanist who confirmed the plant material as khat (Catha edulis).

Khat, known as Abyssinian tea and African salad, is typically grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and is chewed for its amphetamine-like effect. Users also boil dried khat leaves to create a stimulant tea.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/dulles-cbp-seizes-139-pounds-ethiopian-khat-destined-sacramento

[rangerrebew]

Khat is something else Somalis can export to the US other than fraud.

[Cyber Liberty]

Khat is something we haven't heard much about lately, this will soon change....

[mountaineer]

Can't remember which Africancountry it was that I recently read about (possibly Somalia), but there are places where every darn male spends his entire day getting high off this stuff. And we wonder why so many African nations are hellholes.