Pubdate: Thu, 11 Mar 2004
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)

Copyright: 2004 Calgary Herald
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Jason van Rassel, Calgary Herald

AIRPORT SECURITY FINDS 2.9 KG OF NARCOTIC KHAT

Customs officials have seized narcotics and thousands of dollars in 
undeclared cash and traveller's cheques from a man who arrived in Calgary 
on a flight from the United Kingdom.

Officers searching the man's luggage during an examination Tuesday found 
2.9 kilograms of khat, a plant grown in east Africa and the Middle East 
that can have a mild hallucinogenic effect when its leaves are chewed.

"Where it comes from, it's not illegal, but it is in Canada," Gordon 
Luchia, a spokesman for the Canada Border Services Agency, said Wednesday.

Khat is grown mainly in Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Somalia and its use is 
common there. Chewing khat can produce feelings of euphoria and increased 
alertness, but excessive consumption can cause slurred speech, staggering 
and violence among users.

The man arrived on a flight from London, but neither Luchia nor RCMP 
investigators had any details about his nationality Wednesday.

London was the place of origin of the last significant khat seizure in 
Calgary, which happened last May, when officers found 46 kilograms of the 
substance stashed in a suitcase and a backpack belonging to a traveller 
arriving from the British capital.

The khat seized Tuesday is worth approximately $1,450, Luchia said.

In addition to the 21 bundles of khat hidden among clothes in the man's 
luggage, officers found $15,000 of undeclared U.S. traveller's cheques and 
$3,800 in cash.

Federal proceeds-of-crime laws, as well as the Terrorist Financing Act, 
require anyone entering the country to declare if they are carrying 
monetary instruments worth more than $10,000. The traveller has been turned 
over to the RCMP, which is investigating.

The man's cash and traveller's cheques have been seized pending the outcome 
of an investigation.

Depending on the outcome, investigators could permanently seize the entire 
amount, or levy a fine of up to $5,000 for not declaring cash and 
traveller's cheques.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jackl