IN WAR ON DRUGS, FEDS CRACK KHAT RING

NEW YORK -- Federal agents say they have broken up a smuggling ring
responsible for most of the U.S. distribution of a leafy stimulant called
khat, which is illegal here but commonly used in East Africa and parts of
the Arabian peninsula.

Prosecutors announced the indictment of 44 people in New York on Wednesday
on charges that they helped bring 25 tons of the plant into the U.S. in
recent years.

All but 14 of the suspects were under arrest after a series of sweeps in
several states. About 5 tons of the drug, worth $2 million, have been
seized by agents during the 18-month investigation, authorities said.

Simultaneously, a federal grand jury in Seattle indicted 18 more people on
khat importing charges. Fourteen were under arrest. The six-month spin-off
of the New York probe led to the seizure of 1,000 pounds of khat.

Investigators said the defendants mailed khat to the United States in
packages or sent it with couriers aboard commercial airlines. From New
York, it made its way to Ohio, Minnesota, Maine, Massachusetts, Utah,
Washington, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

The U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Michael Garcia, said the cases show law
enforcement agents are taking the drug seriously, even if it is unknown to
most Americans.

Khat is a common and socially accepted drug in Yemen, Somalia, Kenya and
Ethiopia. Users chew it, like loose tobacco, and generally experience a
mild buzz that lasts for anywhere between 90 minutes to a few hours. It can
also cause an elevated heart rate and blood pressure and create a feeling
of euphoria.

Overseas, it is seen as a social ill but an acceptable one, like alcohol.
England considered a ban on khat this year but decided against it.