Sunday 5 December 2010

Drugs from Africa: Khat leaf in Hyderabad.

Khat leafy contraband a drug used as alternative for Amphetamine and Cocaine by the drug abusers was caught in the city. City Task Force police on Saturday arrested a Somalian national
and seized 11 kgs of Khat leaves smuggled into Hyderabad from Adis Ababa the Ethiopian capital.
The arrested accused identified as Ahmed Khadar Yousuf Elmi 38 a native of Mogadishu in Somalia was residing at Nizam Colony at Humayunagar.
Cops found that he was selling the Khat to leaf to city drug abusers and foreign nationals. The accused was smuggling in Khat leaf as vegetables in Air cargo from East African Countries to city via Mumbai.
Khat leaf is a stimulant and produces hallucinogenic affect on chewing.
Task Force Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr V B Kamalasan Reddy said that the Somalian came to India on tourist visa in 1995. He discontinued his studies in the faculty of Bachelor of commerce in
King Koti Pragati College. He was arrested in 2008 October by Humayunagar police for overstay and sent to jail. On bail he procured refugee certificate. Due to financial crisis he started procuring Khat leaf
and selling the contraband at the rate of Rs 1000 per bundle.
Mr Kamalasan Reddy said ,"Not only foreign nationals but also Hyderabadis got addicted to Khat leaves. The Khat leaves contain psycho active ingredients known as cathinone and cathine. Both these
chemicals come under Narcotic Drugs and Pyschotropic substances act purview,".
Khat is a flowering shrub, it has stimulant effect similar to that of cocaine. Khat leaves are grown in Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen countries. Khat is taken by chewing the leaves and dried Khat leaves,
can we mixed in tea decoction. The user experiences immediate increase in blood pressure and heart beat rate. It has effect of mild depression, extreme thrust, insomnia etc. It also damages the nervous, respiratory, circulatory and digestive system. It is a illegal drug falls
under Schedule-I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.
West Zone Task Force inspector of Police Mr J Narsaiah said Khat leaf is grown by farmers in Somalia.
The sale proceeds of Khat leaf is the key sources for the terror funding in Somalia.

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