New York Man Arrested After Large Khat Seizure at Dulles International Airport
A New York man, Mohamed Diawara, 25, was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered nearly 400 pounds of khat in his checked luggage. Diawara arrived on a flight from Paris and was referred for a secondary inspection, during which officers found a commercial quantity of a dried organic substance across eight checked suitcases. Field testing confirmed the substance to be khat, a plant containing controlled stimulants. The seized khat weighed 367 pounds, 9 ounces, and had an estimated street value of approximately $44,000. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police charged Diawara with felony possession with intent to distribute and transporting a controlled substance into Virginia. This incident is part of an increasing trend of khat smuggling attempts observed by CBP at various airports, including recent seizures at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. 
