Drug
from Africa
Agents seize
431 lbs. of khat
Two arrests
also are made when men try to retrieve it
By Russ Rizzo
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article
Last Updated: 12/21/2007 01:33:01 AM MST
A curious
U.S. Customs agent is being credited for the largest-ever drug seizure by customs officials in Salt Lake City.
Authorities say 431 pounds of an African drug called
khat was flown into the U.S. from Ethiopia
before it traveled by truck to Salt Lake City.
The drugs, which came in two shipments, were bound for a Holladay resident and marked as
spices for personal use.
"He [the customs agent] just thought that 100 kilograms of spices for personal
use was odd," said John Glaittli, the port director for customs in Salt Lake City.
First alerted by a misspelled name on a customs form last week, the customs agent took a closer look
at an initial shipment of 221 pounds of the chopped green leaves with an aroma described by drug detectives as a mixture of
tea and alfalfa. As a California lab analyzed the leaves
- eventually determining it contained two substances illegal in this country but not others - the second shipment arrived,
according to court documents.
Federal agents issued warrants for Patrick Bahati, the man who tried
to pick the shipment up last week. Salt Lake
County detectives arrested him Wednesday. A second man, Sherif Sherif,
tried to pick up the drugs and also was arrested, police said. Both men face federal charges of importing drugs. A third man,
a Salt Lake City cab driver, was questioned and released.
Detectives believe the drugs were intended to be distributed among African immigrants in Salt Lake County.
"It's not like you're going to go to a local high school and sell it," said Lt. Paul Jaroscak, a sheriff's
spokesman. "Nobody would know what it is."
Investigators are looking into what happened to a third
shipment the taxi driver said the duo picked up in October. Meantime, Salt
Lake County detectives have
questions of their own about the substance that was jokingly referred to as "African marijuana."
"How
many times in the past has it come in unnoticed?" asked detective Matt Vishner, who helped with the arrests.
"How many more shipments are coming?" responded Detective Doug Lambert.
rrizzo@sltrib.com
What is
khat?
* Khat, pronounced "cot," is a flowery evergreen shrub native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
that is commonly used in cultural traditions.
* It typically is chewed.
* It
offers a high similar to that of methamphetamine.
* The smell is similar to a blend of tea and alfalfa.
* The street value is about $400 to $600 a pound.
Source: Drug Enforcement Agency
