NCB busts int'l khat leaves trafficking racket in Bengaluru

New Delhi, Dec 31 (PTI) The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday said it has busted an international khat leaves trafficking racket with the seizure of 160 kgs of the contraband worth about Rs 8 crore from Bengaluru.

This is the largest seizure of khat leaves in Karnataka since its inclusion as a psychotropic substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 2018, the federal anti-narcotics agency said in a statement.

Khat is a flowering evergreen shrub that is abused for its stimulant-like effect and is chewed like tobacco.

The NCB said khat leaves were a less popular or consumed drug in India and the country was being used for transit of this category of narcotics.

The agency said initial investigation indicates that the contraband was smuggled into India through an international route originating from Ethiopia via Kenya.

This points to the involvement of a "well-organised" trans-national drug syndicate operating across more than 20 countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Middle East, it said.

The syndicate, according to the agency, has sent over 550 parcels weighing about 2,100 kgs to North America, Europe, the Gulf countries and the Middle East over a period of time.

The syndicate, NCB probe found, was using the international postal and courier system to import bulk consignments of khat, camouflaged as routine commercial item like tea.

The network operated through multiple layers, using storage and distribution points within Bengaluru to break bulk and distribute smaller quantities. The syndicate comprised predominantly foreign nationals, assisted by local facilitators, with several members residing in India under the guise of student and medical visas, said the agency. PTI NES KVK KVK