FEDERAL AGENTS MAKE MAJOR QAT BUST

Drugs followed from Port of Baltimore To DC

BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBALChannel.com) - A tip to police led federal agents
to the Port of Baltimore this week, ending in a major drug bust on the
streets of Washington, DC.

Federal authorities have four men in custody and thousands of pounds of an
illegal drug that didn't make it to the streets, WBAL-TV 11 News reported.

Authorities showcased the plastic bags filled with an illegal drug that is
relatively unknown in the United States, called qat. It arrived by ship
this week through the Port of Baltimore, headed for distribution in DC.

Federal agent Allen Doody said east Africans or people of Arabian decent
use qat.

"Qat is primarily a cultural drug," Doody said.

The plant looks like a flowering evergreen tree or large shrub. According
to drug experts, the leaves contain psychoactive ingredients that produce
feelings of euphoria, similar to those of cocaine.

Users feel alert, like they are liberated from space and time. Qat also
suppresses hunger, and side effects can include increased heart rate, wild
delusions and insomnia.

"It's chewed or used in tea. It acts like an amphetamine," Doody said.

Experts said qat is usually packaged in plastic bags or banana leaves to
retain its moistness, freshness and potency.

US Immigration and Customs agents said the 2,500 pounds of qat arrived in
the United States through the Port of Baltimore from a container that
arrived by ship.

"The ship began its journey as a trip from Ethiopia to Yemen to France,
then into the United States and the Port of Baltimore," Doody said.

Before making the bust, the federal agents made sure the shipment got to
its final destination -- a self-storage facility in DC. That's where the
agents arrested four Ethiopian men who now face charges of drug smuggling
and possession with intent to distribute.

The agents also confiscated $13,000 in cash. They said the investigation
has taken two weeks so far.

"It will probably last quite some time as we trace the senders and other
individuals who were due to receive the drugs," Doody said. Federal agents
said the drug had a street value of more than $5 million.