Almost Three Dozen People Arrested in Khat Raid

Almost three dozen people were arrested last night in a raid in the Shaw area of Northwest Washington involving a relatively little known substance that police said is illegal.

Police said they seized about 30 pounds of khat in the raid in the 1800 block of Seventh Street NW. Khat is a leaf chewed for stimulating effects or used in tea and comes from a plant found in Africa and Arabia. Alternate spellings include "qat."

The number of arrests and the nature of the material seized appeared unusual.

Police said the raided location includes a place where people drink coffee and play cards. The raid stemmed from an investigation led by 3rd District officer Jeffery Clay Jr., police said.

Late last night police put the number of arrests at 34. They said most were charged with possession. Four were charged with distribution, police said. They said sandwich-size bags of what was thought to be khat were being sold for about $25.

A Justice Department publication said that after losing its freshness khat leaves contain a substance that has a relatively low abuse potential but can lead to limited dependence.