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Khat smugglers caught in U’hage HEILIE COMBRINCK
F
our suspects appeared in the Uitenhage Magistrate’s Court on Monday on a charge of illegal possession of Khat. Alert Uitenhage highway patrol members as well as members from the Uitenhage K9 squad, were on patrol last Friday when they noticed suspicious looking activities next to Graaff Reinet Road in Uitenhage. “As the police members drove past the
truck and an Opel Corsa vehicle, they noticed the suspects were busy offloading boxes next to the road,” said police spokesperson, Lieutenant Gerda Swart. “Both drivers of the respective police vehicles u-turned. Upon investigation they found the suspects offloading boxes containing Khat. They were offloading it from the truck to the bakkie.” The police confiscated 13 boxes as well as the Opel Corsa bakkie and detained the four suspects, who are are between the ages of
28 and 32 years, on a charge of illegal possession of Khat. According to a JBay.News report, Jeffreys Bay has been identified as a key link in the transportation of Khat from the growing fields in the eastern seaboard coast of the province, to the markets in the Western Cape. “The full effects of Khat are felt only when the leaves are fresh, therefore there is a demand to get the leaves to the market place as quickly as possible.”
Uitenhage Station Commander, Brigadier Leonie Bentley applauded the members and said, “We need to close all avenues for drug dealers. “We appeal to the community to work with us in reducing crime, by providing valuable information, that will lead to the arrest of suspects who sell drugs to our communities. “They are harming our society. I urge my members to keep up the good work and continue to crack down on these unlawful substances”.
What is khat?
=Uitenhage police confiscated 13 boxes of the illegal drug, Khat, as they were offloaded from a truck to a bakkie in Graaff Reinet Road, Uitenhage. Four suspects were detained. PHOTOS:SUPPLIED
Khat (Catha edulis) is believed to have originated in Ethiopia and has been grown for use as a stimulant for centuries and predates the use of coffee. It can easily be mistaken for a herb picked from a garden. In fact khat, mirra, green grass or Bushmen’s tea as it also is known, is a leaf from a tree and is chewed. Fresh khat leaves contain cathi none a Schedule I drug under the Con trolled Substances Act. However, the leaves typically begin to deteriorate after 48 hours, causing the chemical composition of the plant to break down. Once this occurs, the leaves contain cathine, a Schedule IV drug. The South African Police have taken a stance that the drug is illegal in terms of Section 3 of the Drug Act and it will be policed accordingly. Khat is an agent that has been used in social settings to induce feelings of eu phoria and pleasure. Medicinally, it has been used to treat depression and to en hance work capacity. Currently, there are no welldesigned clinical trials evaluating khat for any indi cation. Two poorly documented trials evaluat ed khat in cognitive function. One study revealed no difference in cognitive func tion in the elderly with khat use. In the oth er study, cognitive functioning was nega tively affected by khat use. Its use in South Africa has increased as a result of the influx of Somalians and Ethiopians into the country. (Health24)
=The full effects of Khat are felt only when the leaves are fresh, therefore there is a demand to get the leaves to the market place as quickly as possible.