Customs agents at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport intercepted shipments of the drug khat weighing over 400 pounds.
The first shipment consisted of five duffel bags containing 330 pounds of khat, brought to the U.S. on a flight from London and left on a baggage carousel at BWI on Aug. 11, Customs and Border Protection said in a release Tuesday.
Last Wednesday, a sixth bag, containing 80 more pounds of khat, arrived at the airport. Officials said that in total the six bags contained just over 400 pounds of the drug, worth about $50,000.
The stimulant, also called “Abyssinian tea” and “African salad,” is grown in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa. Users can chew khat leaves for an effect similar to that of amphetamines, while others boil dried khat leaves to create a tea with stimulant effects, customs officials said.
Customs officials said the bags were left after a traveler gave up on an aborted attempt to continue smuggling in the duffel bags of drugs.
“It’s clear that a very vigilant Customs and Border Protection officer spooked this traveler and foiled an attempt to smuggle a substantial amount of a controlled substance into the United States,” CBP Baltimore Area Port Director Adam Rottman said.
Tags on the bags identified the traveler accused of bringing them into the U.S., but attempts by customs officials to make contact were unsuccessful. Officials were able to confirm that the traveler cleared customs screening at BWI after landing.
CBP seized roughly 46,000 pounds of khat in fiscal 2025.
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