10 May,2018 11:29 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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An Ethiopian man was arrested at Mumbai International Airport trying to smuggle 60kg of Miraa or Khat leaves. The herbal drug is globally banned and the man was carrying Khat leaves worth Rs 1.5 crore.
As per sources, the man was apprehended upon his arrival at the airport on May 4. Security personnel checked his three bags based on a suspicion and found nearly 60kgs of the contraband leaves.
The act is chargeable under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The leafy plant khat or Miraa is commonly chewed and acts as a stimulant. The leaf when consumed, speeds up a person's body and mind similar to amphetamine. The drug is known to worsen pre-existing mental health conditions and makes a person anxious and aggressive reported the Hindustan Times.
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The man claimed that he had a phytosanitary certificate, an official document issued by the plant protection organisation of the exporting country to its counterpart of the importing country. However officials realized that the leaves were banned in most countries except, Ethiopia, Kenya and Israel.
A probe revealed that the man was smuggling the drugs on the instructions of an Ethiopian student studying in Mumbai.
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