Police arrest man after finding 19kg of khat in his luggage

A 51-year-old was charged in court after he was stopped at Malta International Airport on suspicion of importing drugs. 

Charges against Somalian Abdikadir Mohamed Ahmed included importation and possession of khat in circumstances which denoted it was not for his personal use. He was also charged with conspiring with others to import, sell or deal in the substance. 

On 7 December,  customs officers were conducting routine inspections on a flight arriving from Manchester. Upon suspicion, they stopped the accused, who was travelling with a large suitcase and a small backpack. The man had a British passport. 

When the luggage was passed through the airport’s scanning equipment, officers noted a significant quantity of an unusual organic material concealed inside. Upon opening the bags, they discovered approximately 20 kilograms of a substance suspected to be khat, a plant commonly cultivated in parts of East Africa known for its stimulant properties when chewed.

A detailed search uncovered 100 individual packages of the material, with an estimated street value of around €8,000. The seized items were subsequently forwarded to a court-appointed expert, who confirmed the presence of khat in the material examined.

In court, the defence did not contest the legality of the arrest. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

The court upheld the prosecution’s request for the issuance of a freezing order, thereby prohibiting the accused from transferring, disposing of, or otherwise encumbering any of the listed assets. The order took immediate effect and shall remain in force until the conclusion of the proceedings. 

Bail for the man was not requested. 

Attorney General lawyer Julian Scicluna and Inspector John Leigh Howard prosecuted. 

Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi presided over the arraignment.