A Grand Forks man is facing felony charges after authorities say he has been receiving bulk shipments of an herbal stimulant common in East Africa and the Middle East but illegal under U.S. and state law.
Abdusalam Taha Mohamed, 37, has been charged with one count of possession of a schedule four substance with intent to deliver, a Class B felony, after narcotics officers say he received a package containing 15 pounds of khat.
Khat is a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Its leaves are chewed for their stimulating effect, which is similar to amphetamine, according to the CDC. It is also commonly mixed with tobacco and smoked.
In the United States, khat use is most prevalent among immigrants from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Mohamed’s arrest was made by officers with the Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force after a manager at Kedney Moving Center manager called Monday to report five suspicious packages were being sent to a storage unit from Kenya, according to court documents. The manager reportedly told officers he opened one of the packages and discovered a green, leafy substance.
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Officers waited for Mohamed to pick up the packages Tuesday at 11 a.m., and placed him under arrest.
Charging documents state Kedney Moving decided to terminate its business with Mohamed and cut the lock to his storage unit, where officers collected three more packages containing khat.
All told, 25 pounds of khat were seized.
Fargo Police seized 15 pounds of khat when a similar shipment was intercepted there in 2010 , according to Herald archives. In 2003, four men men were arrested in Fargo for possessing about 275 pounds of khat.
Authorities believe it is the first khat arrest of the year in Grand Forks, but say they have dealt with the substance in the past.
“It’s pretty rare that they see it,” said Lt. Brett Johnson with the Grand Forks Police Department.
