Police seized over 130 pounds of khat, an illegal amphetamine, after an apparent drug transaction in Falls Church last Saturday. It’s believed the seizure of khat was the largest in the history of Fairfax County.
Police seized over 130 pounds of khat, an illegal amphetamine, after an apparent drug transaction in Falls Church last Saturday. It’s believed the seizure of khat was the largest in the history of Fairfax County.
A Fairfax County Police officer on patrol observed what appeared to be a drug transaction in a parking lot at 5981 Columbia Pike in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County, around 6:10 p.m. on Saturday May 15. The officer stopped two men and conducted an investigation which revealed that one suspect was allegedly purchasing khat from the other. Both men were arrested and approximately 21 pounds of khat was seized. A subsequent search of one suspect’s house led to the seizure of an additional 111 pounds of khat.
Khat is a flowering evergreen shrub native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Typically, it’s chewed like tobacco, though it can be smoked and sprinkled on food. It is an amphetamine and a Schedule I drug.
Ahmed Omer Abdujelel, 45, of Falls Church was charged with distribution of a Schedule I drug and distribution near certain properties (recreation center) and Ali Abdi Hersi, 47, of Washington DC was charged with possession of a Schedule I drug.
