UniSea Processor Charged With Khat Possession
Friday, August 09 2013
Bundles of khat. (Courtesy of the DEA)
A UniSea processor is facing a felony drug charge for possession of khat -- an East African plant that’s chewed to induce euphoria and alertness.
According to the charging documents, a UniSea security officer discovered a sandwich bag containing the leafy green plant under 28-year-old Yusuf Aadan’s bunk in late June. The security officer confiscated the bag and handed it over to the Unalaska Department of Public Safety. A state crime lab identified it as khat, and Aadan was arrested on August 3.
Khat chewing is common -- and legal -- in Aadan’s native Somalia. But in the U.S., the active chemical ingredient is considered on par with methamphetamine.
Aadan is being held in custody in Anchorage. There’s no scheduled date for him to appear before a Grand Jury, but if he’s not indicted by next Thursday, the court will have to drop all charges. If indicted and convicted, Aadan could face up to $50,000 in fines and five years in jail.
This is the second time khat has surfaced in Unalaska in the last year. No charges were ever filed in the other case.
n/a on Friday, November 01 2013:
no let get these charges my brother took this stuff n had a stroke there in dutch harbor he now has the mentality of a 3 yr old this stuff is bad news
juneauite in bellingham on Monday, August 12 2013:
yeah its lame that america was conquered by puritans whom outlawed everything they personally didnt like. they even committed genocide against the first nations of this continent. Of course the somali should be released. And alaska should join washington and colorado with the legalization of weed. BC is getting ready to do it.
silent majority on Sunday, August 11 2013:
Yes let that poor fellow go. Throwing anyone in jail and charging them with a felony for this is not right.
Ray Carlsen on Saturday, August 10 2013:
and arrest all the pot users in USA while you are at it. let the poor fellow go. it is cultural and hardly a crime