Paramus Police Arrest Man With Hallucinogenic Drug, $28K In Vehicle

PARAMUS, N.J. — Police found heroin, a half-pound of an hallucinogenic drug called khat and nearly $28,000 in a vehicle during a traffic stop on Route 17 Monday night.

Officers Timothy Reed and Forrest Diedolf stopped a 2017 Nissan Altima for failing to maintain a lane at 10 p.m., said Deputy Chief Robert M. Guidetti.

The officers found a bag of heroin in the vehicle, saw narcotics out in the passenger compartment and found nearly $28,000 in the vehicle's center console, a sun visor and stuffed in a garment bag, Guidetti said.

The driver, Alhussain Ali Ashabi, 32, of Albany, New York, was arrested and charged with possession of khat, possession of heroin and money laundering, police said. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for careless driving and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in a vehicle.

Khat is a shrub that is used as a stimulant and chewed much like tobacco, but it is often smoked and even sprinkled on food, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said. The narcotic has been known to cause paranoia and hallucinations, much like cocaine and methamphetamine.

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Photo: The khat that police said they found in Alhussain Ali Ashabi's vehicle they stopped on Route 17 Monday night. — Paramus Police Department