Police seize $98,000 worth of psychoactive drug, arrest cab driver

Metro Police late Tuesday seized about $98,000 worth of khat — a psychoactive drug with ties to the Middle East and Africa — that officials worry is gaining popularity in the United States.

Metro Lt. Laz Chavez said police arrested Las Vegas cab driver Hassan Abdullah Omar, 46, at his home in the 5000 block of Duneville Street near Tropicana Avenue in the western valley after executing a search warrant.

The arrest was the result of a joint investigation among Metro's narcotics unit, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI following the interception of a package containing 50 pounds of khat (pronounced "cot") at a local DHL shipping hub, Chavez said.

Authorities traced the package's intended destination to Omar's residence and found an additional 111 pounds while executing the search warrant, Chavez said. That brings the total khat seizure to 161 pounds, the largest in Las Vegas history, police said.

Omar, a U.S. citizen originally from Somalia, was arrested on felony charges of possession of a controlled substance, trafficking in a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, Chavez said.

Khat is a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that's ingested by chewing its leaves, officials said. Users then experience psychoactive effects similar to cocaine or methamphetamine.

Officials across the country have noticed more khat seizures as immigration from Somalia has increased, but it's not exclusive to Somalia, Chavez said. Yemenese and Middle Eastern immigrants also have been known to possess khat, he said.

"We have noticed that the Somali nationals here in Las Vegas have been in possession of this khat on a more than average basis," he said.

Officials' concern is that those in possession of the illegal drug may be attempting to sell it to the general public, thereby increasing its popularity.

Authorities first noticed an increase in khat seizures beginning in 2003. Since then, Metro Police have made 11 seizures of the drug in varying amounts from 21 to 63 pounds.

Chavez said the drug can be considered a homeland security concern because it sometimes originates in the Middle East. The FBI was briefed on the latest seizure and is trying to trace its origin, he said.

Omar's wife lived in the home with him and was there Tuesday night, but she wasn't arrested, Chavez said. Omar has lived in the United States since 1992.

Police also seized $6,900 from Omar's home during the search.