Latvian customs thwart drug contraband attempt by refugees from Somalia

Riga - The Customs Police of the Latvian State Revenue Service have intercepted several large shipments of psychotropic substances that had arrived from Kenya and had been organized by Somalis, who had been granted the refugee status in Austria and Slovenia, the State Revenue Service said.

The first shipment, delivered by air from Turkey contained 432 kilograms of stuff described in the documents as dried henna leaves but the laboratory tests showed that these were in fact leaves of Catha edulis, also known as khat, a psychotropic substance of plant origin.

Another shipment containing 44 kilograms of similar leaves, also described in the documents as henna leaves, was seized on the same day in the Riga airport, and three days later the customs officers seized another shipment from Kenya, weighing 106 kilograms and allegedly containing household goods, but actually the container was again full with khat leaves.

A criminal proceeding was opened, and three persons were promptly detained in Riga on suspicions of contraband of psychotropic substances.

Altogether 582 kilograms of psychotropic substances were seized, and their street value may exceed EUR 500,000.