Another 65 Pounds Of This Stimulant Seized At VA Airport

STERLING, VA – Another 65 pounds of khat, an illegal stimulant, was seized by authorities at Dulles International Airport on Wednesday.

According to a release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, officers discovered 65 pounds of khat (Catha edulis) in the baggage of a New York man arriving at the airport from Morocco on Wednesday night.

CBP says Bakari Wally, 24, a U.S. citizen from the Bronx, was arrested by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police on Thursday morning. He is charged with possession of a schedule IV controlled substance, a class two misdemeanor, according to court records. Schedule IV substances are considered to have an accepted medical use and low potential for addiction.

Khat is typically grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where it is an accepted part of social culture, and is chewed for its amphetamine-like effect. It can also be made into a stimulant tea.

CBP says the amount of khat reportedly found in Wally’s bags has a street value of around $8,000.

CBP says it has seen an increase in khat smuggling in travelers’ luggage. In August, CBP reported finding more than 360 pounds of khat in one man’s luggage and finding more than 760 pounds in luggage at the airport on a single day. According to the agency, about 46,000 pounds of khat was seized last fiscal year and more than 30,000 pounds has been seized during the first 10 months of this fiscal year.

Wally is set to be arraigned on Oct. 28.