Dozens arrested in U.S. crackdown on khat smuggling

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors charged 62 people Wednesday with smuggling more than 25 tons of the African plant khat into the United States, where it's used as an illegal stimulant.

The group is accused of smuggling bundles of the plant from Africa through Europe into immigrant communities in Minnesota, Washington state, Illinois, Ohio, Maine, Massachusetts, Utah and Washington, D.C., from December 2004 to July 2006....

"It is suspected that there are ties to some type of terrorist organization," said a federal agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
.....
One of the suspected ringleaders, Osman Osman, was employed at the United Nations and used the U.N.'s diplomatic pouch to smuggle the plant into the United States, authorities allege.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/15129489.htm

[MadMaddie]

1. They are able to track pot and Khat but they can't find

terrorist with their illegal spying....

[anotherdrew]

19. they can't do shit about heroin or cocaine either for some reason

odd in'it

[L. Coyote]

20. Khat and terrorism.

There was an "in-depth" report on the 2-year DEA investigation of Khat smuggling on T-V. It made repeated inferences that this activity was supporting terrorism. Khat is being smuggled from Somalia and East Africa.

I wish I had taped it. One statement was something like this: ..there might be an east African who is a member of Al-Queda, so there might be a possibility that some money goes to someone who might be a terrorist...

There was never any real link offered, just such absurd inference.

What's next, coffee from Venezuela supporting red and pinko communists?

[napi21]

2. What in the world is KHAT? O never heard of it before?

Is it an opiat, like MJ, or some chemical mix?

[Richard Steele]

7. It's an incredibly MILD narcotic. Less addictive than coffee. nm

[napi21]

8. Soooo, what's the big deal with confiscation?

I mean, for goodness sake, people get adicted to ice cream, chocolate, and just plain food! This sounds like a suip ploy to make the arresting guys look good!

[Richard Steele]

9. Same as the rest of our national "Drug War"; it is not legally "permitted"

This touches upon the very definition of "FASCISM".

In a FREE society, EVERYTHING is legal until the Government issues a LAW
making it ILLEGAL.

In a Fascist Dictatorship, NOTHING is legal until the Government passes a law
which gives you permission to do it.

The USA has _NO_ laws which specifically mention the KHAT which billions
of humans have imbided daily since the dawn of time.

[AlamoDemoc]

3. Khat is legal import from Kenya to England & many other European countri

[Purveyor]

4. Osman Osman? Some say Tim Osman was a CIA cover name

for Osama bin Laden.

Plug "Tim Osman" into your fav search engine and read on...

[genieroze]

5. What is Khat?

http://www.streetdrugs.org/khat.htm

[Wwagsthedog]

6. Just imagine

A diplomatic terrorist running around with up to 25 tons of khat (qat) in his little pouch. Not much room for a bomb. Frankly, I thing they ought to declare a full blown drug war on these diplomats and send them to Iran, or Syria, or Lebanon.

[Frank Cannon]

10. They SHOULD be cracking down on khat JUGGLING

That is a particularly heinous offense that must be stopped.

[Richard Steele]

12. IIRC, the Martin Foundation attempted to address this problem 30 yrs ago.

But Bill Clinton's NAFTA agreements spelled DOOM for the foundation's efforts.

It was a purely MEXICAN phenomenon back then, but look at how far it's spread:
Those are BOSTON terriers the little girl is juggling!

oh, the humanity!

[HuffleClaw]

11. what a joke

a complete waste of resources.

[w4rma]

13. Smuggling cats?

:+

[Javaman]

14. Read Black Hawk down...

Khat is a big in Somalia. Most of the "technicals" where jacked on the stuff most of the time.

Oddly it is now big in Maine and south of detroit, because of two large Somali immigrant pops.

The effect of Khat has been likened to having several beers.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

15. Khat is amazing stuff

I used to be friends with some Ethiopians.

We spent a khat-soaked weekend one Labor Day. One of the greater experiences of my life. The stuff is hardly dangerous. In fact, we spent an entire day studying (which was typical for the Ethiopians back home); you can acheive amazing focus and concentration under the subtle, mild effects of khat.

[Bush_MUST_Go]

16. Suspected ties to terrorists? I hope banning coffee isn't the next step.

[patcox2]

17. Thank god they've got that scourge under control.

God Bless America.

We will prevail, in peace and freedom from fear, through the purity of essence of our natural bodily fluids.

[ima_sinnic]

18. "ties to terrorists"? you mean BFEE smuggles khat now?

I guess they're looking beyond their profitable little crack and cocaine racket. Remeber how Poppy and Ollie North et al. sold cocaine to raise money for Nicaraguan death squads?