Ho Chi Minh City seizes tons of banned narcotic leaves

By    July 14, 2016 | 12:22 am PT
The leafy stimulant is popular in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

The drug criminal control unit under the city’s Customs Department last month alone uncovered some 2,000 kilograms of khat leaves being smuggled into Vietnam through post and courier services.

Khat leaves are chewed as a stimulant and are banned in Vietnam.

The leafy plant induces a euphoric, excited feeling. Its side-effects include mouth disease and tooth loss as users chew the leaves so they slowly break down and enter the bloodstream.

More seriously, the drug takes a heavy toll on addicts and can cause mental illness.

Khat is popular in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

While heroin remains the most widely used illicit drug in Vietnam, the use of amphetamine-type stimulants is on the rise in the country, and drug police have recorded a steady increase in methamphetamine seizures in recent years.

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