TWO SOMALIANS FOUND WITH KHAT, $3,587 CASH

Two legal immigrants from Somalia had 62 bundles of a naturally occurring
stimulant known as khat (pronounced "cot") seized from their 2003 Dodge
Caravan by a West Virginia State Police trooper Thursday.

The seizure occurred at approximately 11:25 p.m. near exit 5 on Interstate
70. The drug is illegal in the United States, however, it is legal in many
European and Africa counties and is popular among Muslims who use it to
ward off hunger when fasting during religious observances. Osman Abdi, 42,
and Shukri Abdi, 50, were released, due to the state police laboratory's
inability to adequately field test the substance. Neither have been
formally charged. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service were
contacted and verified that the two were in the country legally.

"An agent from the (Drug Enforcement Administration) should be coming up
here to get a sample of this stuff," said Trooper J. L. Shelton, the
officer responsible for the seizure. "The sample will be taken to
Washington, D.C."

Shelton said if the results are positive for the properties of khat,
federal indictments will be issued and the U.S. Marshal Service will be
responsible for bringing the Abdis in. It is unclear if the two men are
related.

The incident resulting in the seizure involved the suspect vehicle
traveling at a high rate of speed on I-70. Shelton initiated a traffic stop
near exit 5. The driver, Osman Abdi, was removed from the vehicle and
provided written consent for a search to Shelton. The bundles of the
substance, as well as $3,587, in cash, were found and seized and the two
were released.

According to DEA literature, Khat is derived from the Catha edulis shrub,
primarily cultivated in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The use of
the drug is "an established cultural tradition for many social situations
in those regions."

Individuals of East African and Middle Eastern descent "are most
responsible for the importation, distribution, possession and use of khat
in the United States."

The Thursday night incident marks the second time khat has been seized in
West Virginia. In June, 2002, $14,000 worth of the substance was seized.
Officers today did not give the names of those involved in the first
incident, but said they pleaded guilty and are currently serving a one-year
sentence in a federal penitentiary.

"We really hadn't seen or heard about this stuff too much until that first
arrest," Shelton said.

To obtain the effects of the plant, it is chewed like tobacco, Shelton
said. It has to be frozen in order to ensure freshness.

"Khat is usually shipped already packaged into bundles and wrapped in
plastic bags or banana peels to retain moisture and freshness," The DEA
literature claims. "Khat is generally smuggled in passenger luggage,
overnight express or shipped as air cargo and falsely labeled as 'vegetables.'

"Khat is an important part of the economy of many producer countries,
particularly Somalia and Yemen."

Yemen press reports that Yemeni consumers spend an average of $2 billion
annually on the substance. The substance has been used in place of alcohol
by Muslims.

The abuse of the substance can result in symptoms similar to amphetamine
addiction: physical exhaustion, violence and suicidal tendencies.

Common side effects include anorexia, tachycardiac hypertension, insomnia
and gastric disorders.

In 2001, 37.2 metric tons of khat were seized at U.S. ports of entry,
according to DEA data.

This was up from 17.6 metric tons in 1996.

The DEA also reports that the use of khat is not likely to expand beyond
the use by ethnic Somalian, Ethiopian, Yemeni and Eritrean communities.