DEPUTIES CONFISCATE KHAT CROP

Narcotics case: African shrub used as a stimulant was growing in the
Prunedale area.

In what is believed to be the first case of its kind in the country,
Monterey County narcotics agents Thursday seized a crop of khat, an African
shrub used in some cultures as a stimulant.

Officers from the Monterey County Sheriff's Department, the federal Drug
Enforcement Administration and other agencies seized more than 1,000 of the
illicit plants from a quarter-acre field in the Prunedale area north of
Salinas.

``This is very unique,'' said DEA special agent Evelyn James. ``It's not the
first time we've encountered it in the Bay Area, but it's the first time
we've encountered it being grown. This is the first grow operation as far as
I know in the entire United States.''

The khat, which ranged from seedlings to plants up to 14 feet high, was
seized from the yard of a home on Executive Drive, said Monterey County
sheriff's Lt. Dave Allard. Two people were detained for questioning, he
said.

Sheriff's officials would not release the address or identify the people
questioned in the case, which they said remains under investigation. The
street value of the crop is unknown, Allard said.

Khat, or Arabian tea, is known scientifically as Catha edulis. It is found
in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where the raw leaves are sometimes
chewed or mixed into tea as a mild stimulant.

In the United States, khat has been largely unknown. Most Americans first
heard of it during the 1993 United Nations peacekeeping effort in Somalia.
The forces of factional leader Mohammed Farrah Aidid, who were battling U.N.
forces, were said to use the substance.

Sheriff's officials in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties said they could not
recall any local cases involving the use or cultivation of khat.

``The reason we're being so aggressive on this is that we want to make sure
it doesn't get a foothold in this country,'' Allard said.

While khat may not be established in American pop culture, it has made it
into the federal lawbooks. Khat contains two stimulants: cathine and
cathinone, James said. Cathine, which produces a mild effect and remains in
the leaves long after they are picked, is federally restricted as a
``Schedule 4'' drug, the same as many barbiturates, she said.

The stronger cathinone, which degrades within 48 hours of picking the
leaves, causes sensations ranging from euphoria and alertness to anxiety,
aggression and paranoia, James said. It is federally banned as a ``Schedule
1'' narcotic, the same as cocaine, heroin and LSD, she said.

Narcotics agents suspect that the khat seized in Prunedale was being grown
for the more potent stimulant. ``You can't import it from Africa and make
sure that ingredient is there,'' James said.

DEA officials are considering prosecuting the case in federal court, James
said. Because the plants were fresh and growing, they are considered a
Schedule 1 narcotic, she said. A federal conviction of possession for sale
of a Schedule 1 narcotic can carry a sentence of up to 20 years and fines up
to $1 million, she said.

1997 - 1998 Mercury Center.

Checked-by: Don Beck