SMUGGLING - KHAT

KHAT FOR SALE | A new drug has emerged on the scene

Khat is the latest drug to hit Britain and the States. But why are so many young men from Kent risking imprisonment by smuggling the drug to the USA, where it is sold as a Class 1 narcotic?

The narcotic properties of Khat have been known for centuries, but it's only recently that young men in Kent have been smuggling the drug overseas.

Khat is legal in Britain but it's banned in Europe, America and Canada.

Inside Out investigates how young British men - many of them from Deal - are risking jail by smuggling Khat into the USA.

Drug smuggling

David is 17-years-old, and lives in Deal. His parents were devastated when he was arrested for drug smuggling and locked up in New York's infamous Riker Island prison.

Profits from Khat may go to terrorist groups say Police

David's crime was smuggling Khat into the States from Kent.

"It was a horrible nightmare and I thought that I'd never wake up from it," recalls his mother.

"He was looking at six years to life imprisonment," says his father.

David's only hope was his American Defense Attorney, Elizabeth Pruser.

She found something remarkable - dozens of records of people from Deal in Kent jailed for attempting to smuggle Khat to the States.

Dealing in Khat

So why has Deal become a centre for the Khat smugglers? Peter, a former smuggler told Inside Out Extra, "I think it's because Deal is known as a smugglers' town. The whole of Kent has been for the last 300-400 years."

Inside Out took to the streets of Deal to get the lowdown, but our reporter was told to mind his own business by the drug operators.

What's the deal? Why is Deal a centre for Khat smugglers?

We did find that the smuggling ringleaders offer cash and holidays in return for delivering a suitcase to the USA - providing the carrier asks no questions.

The operators groom the youngsters who often don't realise that the trade in Khat is illegal.

Ex-smuggler Peter has seen many teenagers caught up in the trade, and says, "God knows what they were thinking of."

Smuggling Khat comes at a devastating price. It cost the family $5,000 to get David back from the USA, and he's been banned from the country for 20 years. Peter served three months in prison before being deported, and is also on the same black list.

Peter sums it up, "I think that they're fishing around the country just looking for people - mugs basically".

Khat - a brief history

Khat can be bought legally in Britain from places such as Paddington Market in London.

Khat has been used for centuries as a recreational drug in Africa and Arabia, predating the use of coffee.

It is a stimulant and produces a feeling of well-being and happiness.

Khat can be bought in the UK at specialist market stalls for around £5 a bunch.

It's popular among Britain's Somali community, and 90% of Somali men reportedly chew the leaves regularly.

Khat (pronounced "cot") is a flowering shrub native which originated in Ethiopia and has spread to East Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Fresh Khat leaves are glossy and crimson-brown, resembling withered basil.

Users claim the drug lifts spirits, sharpens thinking and increases energy.

Used in moderation, Khat can help to reduce fatigue and suppress appetite. As with most drugs, intensive use can lead to psychological and health problems.

Side effects

So just what effect does Khat have on our bodies? Presenter Paul Ross, under the close supervision of leading health expert, Dr. Iain Murray-Lyon, tried Khat himself.

Don't try this at Home. Ross says Khat is unpleasant to taste

He grimaced as he chewed the leaves describing it as "astringent". After about an hour Ross spoke of the effects, "I feel trembly and a bit hyper like I've had too much coffee and a bit hot.

"Take it from me, Khat tastes disgusting. My blood pressure has shot up and my head aches," moans Paul.

The effects are weaker than cocaine or methamphetamine. But Khat can still trigger paranoia and hallucinations, and may even lead to mouth cancer and heart disease.

The Home Office is currently investigating whether Khat causes long term health damage and should be banned.

Its drugs and alcohol unit is carrying out a study to assess the health risks involved in taking the mild narcotic.

Khat in the States

The Khat problem has been escalating especially on the other side of the Atlantic.

In America, bunches of Khat sell for 10 times their UK price. Highly organised gangs in Britain are making £150 m a year smuggling Khat into the States.

Khat is popular in Somalia, Yemen and South Africa

Over the last six months over 20 UK citizens have been jailed in America for attempting to smuggle Khat into the U.S.

Smuggling Khat is a serious offence in the United States, but the smugglers don't always seem aware of the law.

Elizabeth Pruser told Inside Out, "They all say 'It's legal in the UK, and that they were under the assumption it's legal over here too'".

This view was echoed by the mother of the young man arrested for smuggling Khat.

"He was very upset, nearly in tears and we did actually have several conversations where he was in tears and obviously he realised he was in a lot of trouble.

"I was just thinking to myself - this is the worst place he could have gone to, they have the death sentence in America."

Why is Khat illegal in the States?

There are two substances in Khat which are classified as controlled substances in the US - these are Cathinone and Cathine.

Bringing Khat into America carries the same sentencing as bringing in cocaine or heroin.

Khat leaves lose their potency after 48 hours, so for the smugglers it has become a race against time. The plants are shipped out within hours of arriving in the UK.

Drugs 'mules' are drafted in to satisfy the weekend rush. Most couriers travel to the US on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays to satisfy higher weekend demand.

Over 20 Britons have been arrested in the US since the beginning of the year for trafficking Khat.

Attorney Elizabeth Pruser says, "These people are not criminals; they are just kids trying to make a bit of money who are naïve.

"When I first meet them they are stunned and very scared. They don't even know who they are supposed to be bringing the drug to."

Taking a hard line

Thomas E. Manifase, a special agent with the US Dept of Homeland Security adds, "I can tell you we are taking a real hard look at the people who smuggle this in to the US. We are trying to find out who the people are who are behind this.

Riker Island prison - home to several Khat smugglers

"We are looking at the funding, the money, where's it going? It could be being used to fund terrorism because it's being sent back to countries that support terrorism like Yemen and others.

"What the Khat smugglers are looking for are non-African people to carry the drug as they feel they get less scrutiny, white Caucasian male and females. They are surprised when we arrest them as they've been told it's NOT illegal by the smugglers."

But Kenneth Holder, Chief of Narcotic Trials Division for the DA's office in Queen's says importing Khat is classified as an A2 felony.

If the prosecutor's office decided to indict everybody they could sit in jail for up to a year prior to going to trial. If you went to trial you could be convicted of three years up to life imprisonment.

Khat-atastrophe?

The Deal drug smuggling problem looks like it's the tip of an iceberg that is only beginning to emerge in terms of organised crime involving Khat.

The challenge for many areas will be to nip the problem in the bud before the criminals move into new areas, and target vulnerable young men as drug mules.

As former smuggler Peter chillingly predicts, "As soon as they've exhausted one place, they'll go on to somewhere else."