Chennai
Officials intercepted five parcels from Nairobi, Kenya and were detained at Foreign Post Office in Chennai. The first parcel was declared to contain flower vases. On opening, 11 wooden vases wrapped in white foam sheet were found. On close examination of each vase, the officials found them to be sealed. On cut opening the top, a pink polybag was found inside in which khat leaves were concealed.
The other four parcels were declared to contain ‘rosemary’ and ‘dried spices’. On opening the parcels, a silver opaque polybag was found in which five pink polybags containing dried khat leaves were concealed. Total, 46.8 kgs of khat leaves worth Rs 1.17 crore were recovered and seized under the NDPS Act 1985.
Customs official said the arrested youth is an aeronautical engineer working in a software firm in the city.
Khat (Catha edulis), also known as Miraa, is a stimulant drug and is prohibited under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Khat is mainly cultivated in East Africa and South Yemen.
In March 2020, the Customs had seized 15.6 kg of khat leaves worth Rs 40 lakh which had arrived from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia at FPO Chennai.
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