CBP Seizes 139 Pounds Of Khat, A Leafy Stimulant, In Shipment From Ethiopia

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport earlier this month seized and destroyed 139 pounds of khat, an African plant chewed or brewed for stimulant effects.

CBP agriculture specialists found the khat while inspecting an air cargo shipment from Ethiopia, bound for Sacramento, Calif., and manifested as a variety of spices. The shipment contained a total of 102 boxes, 10 of which contained “leafy plant material” later confirmed by a U.S. Department of Agriculture botanist to be khat.

Khat, grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is also known as Abyssinian tea and African salad. Users chew the leaves or boil them into a tea to produce an “amphetamine-like” stimulant effect, CBP said.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, khat contains cathinone and cathine, both of which are central nervous system stimulants. Cathinone is classified as a Schedule I drug, while cathine is classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance.

Officials said signs of khat toxicity include “delusions, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, and increased blood pressure and heart rate.”

The seized khat, which had an estimated street value of around $17,000, was destroyed, CBP said. The agency said that in the first seven months of the current fiscal year — from Oct. 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026 — around 10,000 pounds of khat have been siezed.

“The khat plant is prohibited from being imported to the United States because its active chemical ingredients are controlled substances,” said Christine Waugh, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Narcotics interdiction along our nation’s borders remains a priority enforcement mission for Customs and Border Protection, and seizing illicit and potentially dangerous substances is one way in which CBP officers can help to keep our communities safe.”