BEIJING: Customs authorities in China seized a total of 705 kilograms of banned plant Khat, which can be used as stimulant, from Ethiopia.
Khat was banned in China 2014, which makes it a criminal offense to plant hold, transport, traffic or eat the leafy shrub.
The first parcel full that contained 14 kilos of khat, a leafy shrub grown in the Arabian Peninsula was discovered in Shenyang last December.
Customs agents believed there were more parcels coming from Ethiopia that possibly contain the banned plant so they conducted thorough investigation.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, custom agents found more parcels containing Khat from Ethiopia in Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen.
At least three people have already been arrested for receiving the parcels of Khat from Ethiopia. The three have been officially charged in a Chinese court.
According to Shenyang customs officials, China was only used a transit point for the smuggling of Khat as the suspects reportedly were planning to send the banned plant to other countries for profit.
Khat can be brewed as tea, smoked or chewed. It is a leafy green plant that contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria.
It is a controlled substance in some countries, such as Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, while its production, sale, and consumption are legal in other nations, including Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen.
