http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3739
Mike Nowatzki
The Forum
A drug bust earlier this year in which Fargo police seized 600 pounds of khat destined for Minneapolis is believed to be the largest seizure of the cocaine-like narcotic in Cass County, Sgt. Jeff Skuza said.
“This is huge,” he said.
The Jan. 31 bust wasn’t announced until Wednesday because the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office was still investigating the case, Skuza said.
Acting on a tip, Fargo police seized the drug shipment at Hector International Airport and detained one suspect, who was turned over to Hennepin County authorities, he said.
The suspect, Jeffrey Lewis Lerner, 61, of Minnetonka, Minn., and another suspect, Ricky Lee Bartel, 53, of Brooklyn Center, Minn., were arrested by Hennepin County authorities on suspicion of possession with intent to distribute.
The seized drugs had an estimated street value of $112,000, Skuza said.
Khat is a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, according to the U.S. Justice Department.In the United States, khat use is most prevalent among immigrants from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen.
Chewing fresh khat leaves produces a stimulant effect similar to but less intense than those caused by cocaine or methamphetamine.
http://www.in-forum.com/News/articles/203871