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10 May 2007
BRUSSELS – Between mid April and the beginning of May customs officials at Brussels Airport intercepted 400 kg of khat.
The drugs were brought over in four separate shipments by five couriers. The five people, four British nationals and a Swede, were working for a Somali organisation that wanted to transport the drugs to the Canadian city of Toronto, the authorities in Brussels reported on Thursday.
Khat is made from the leaves of the Catha Edulis Forsk, a plant that grows mainly in East African countries like Ethiopia and Somalia.
Chewing the leaves releases a stimulant comparable to the effect of amphetamines. One kilo of khat is worth about EUR 45 on the black market.
[Copyright Expatica News 2007]
Subject: Belgian news