Fairfax police seize khat, arrest 2

A patrol officer in Fairfax County is responsible for what is believed to be the county's largest-ever seizure of khat, an illegal drug popular in East Africa and along the Arabian Peninsula.

The officer noticed what appeared to be a drug sale in a parking lot along Columbia Pike in the Falls Church area on Saturday night and stopped two men allegedly involved in the transaction. The officer determined that one of the men was trying to sell khat (pronounced "cot") to the other and found 21 pounds of the drug at the scene, police said.

A search of one suspect's home turned up an additional 111 pounds of khat, for a total of 132 pounds of the flowering evergreen shrub, police said.

An amphetamine, khat typically is chewed but can also be smoked or eaten. In the United States, it is a Schedule I drug, which is the same category that includes PCP, Ecstasy, marijuana and LSD.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, khat is legal in much of Europe, East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where it is part of an established cultural tradition. The DEA estimates that several million people use khat worldwide, adding that East African and Middle Eastern dealers are most often responsible for its importation into the United States.

Some estimates place khat's value at anywhere from $300 to $600 per kilogram (2.2 pounds), which would make the seizure in Fairfax County worth $18,000 to $36,000. Police did not have an estimate for the sales price in the alleged transaction.

Fairfax County police arrested Ahmed Omer Abdujelel, 45, of the 2800 block of Annandale Road and charged him with distribution of a Schedule I drug and distribution near a recreation center. Police said they found the large stash of khat in Abdujelel's home.

They also arrested Ali Abdi Hersi, 47, of Northwest Washington and charged him with possession of a Schedule I drug.