Ugh. Criminal masterminds in Israel trying to be clever. Khat is primarily grown for export in the East African highlands of Ethiopia and Kenya, and in the Sanaa area of Yemen, and is consumed mostly beyond the region by emigrants. In much of the world it is illegal, but it is legal for personal use in Israel, accommodating the cultural peculiarities of Yemenite Jews and the Bene Israel Jews of Ethiopia and Sudan, who apparently mainly grow it for the purpose as a garden plant. Organized crime in Israel developed the practice of paying Israelis take suitcases of the stuff to Europe— someone must have been getting ambitious.
[IsraelTimes] Bust at Athens International Airport valued at €1.5 million is biggest Greek seizure of smuggled khat leaf since 2014Greece has made a record seizure of khat, confiscating half a ton of the illegal plant-based drug, Athens airport said on Sunday.
The drug is made from the leaves of the khat plant, native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
When chewed, khat releases chemicals similar to amphetamines, resulting in a mild high.
Greece’s state-run news agency
...and if you can't trust the state-run news agency who can you believe?...
said the seizure’s size made it the largest haul ever confiscated in the country, with a value estimated at €1,500,000 ($1,750,000).
According to the Athens News Agency, the illegal substance was hidden in four shipping containers declared to be holding curtains, sheets and fabrics, transiting from Israel and bound for the United States.
Greece’s previous record seizure was also confiscated at Athens International Airport on December 4, 2014.
Khat, also known as qat, is very popular in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
and Horn of Africa countries, including Æthiopia and Somalia.
In 2022, Spain made Europe’s record seizure of the drug, confiscating khat with a street value of €61 million.
Related from June: Khat smuggling by haredi youth sparks outcry across Europe’s Jewish communities: Young men lured by quick cash face harsh penalties and community backlash as smuggling trend spreads.
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