A Texas man was arrested on Interstate 80 in Monroe County on Friday night by police who said he had 52 pounds of khat (chat), a naturally occurring stimulant illegal in the United States that is cultivated and used primarily in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
The khat seizure appears to be a rarity in the region.
Eli Yakobov, 26, of Dallas was arrested at 7:30 Friday after his van was stopped for a traffic violation on westbound I-80, Tunkhannock Township, state police at Swiftwater said.
Police said they found a small plastic bag containing khat in the center console of Yakobov's van and turned up two large boxes containing 52 pounds of the material, which is usually chewed like tobacco.
Yakobov was committed to Monroe County Prison under $100,000 bail after arraignment on charges of possession and possession to distribute khat, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Local police and law officials reached Saturday, including those from Allentown and Easton, said they have had no encounters with khat.
A 2002 federal Drug Enforcement Administration report says the amount of khat seized in the nation is increasing and appears to be related to an increase in immigrants from such places as Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen and Eritrea.
idiot na d ignorant!!! we are worried about the future fate of our ppl. u talk about chat. ignorant!!!!
we can't solve problems through ingnorance.
go back to elementary school!
idiiiot and iggggnorant!!! we are worried about the future fate of our ppl. u talk about chat. ignorant!!!!
we can't solve problems through ingnorance.
go back to elementary school!
ante dinbajam min abak yasadibihal! why don't you be civil! the reason i posted the news is b/c i know a lot of abeshas who chew this drug and i am worried that they will end up in jail too.
For Mr x who said "we are worried about the future fate of our ppl. u talk about chat". Your concern is highly appreciated but it is also possible to be worried about two or more issues at a time. What is wrong if someone inform you that chat is illegal in US? Don't be too selfish. Don't expect every issue raised here to be liked by you.Think that it may be helpful to others even if you already know about.
You must have not heared that someone who went to US, with student visa, carrying chat was caught and deported to Addis?
You do not seem to get the point. If Chat is illegal, Meles is illegal too. There is connetion between Chat and Meles. Don't you get it? Meles-Chat and Chat-Mels. Do you get it now? You are absoluetly hopeless. Hint. Chat is leggaly sold in Ethiopia. And Meles sold Ethiopia. Get it?
blame chat for all the tricks melese is puthing on the political table,we made him smart after we introduce him to chat,thats where the higlander meets the lowlander
