Customs Department officers from the Airfreight Section yesterday intercepted 113 kgs of the drug khat which had been declared as henna leaves. A man was later arrested in connection with the discovery.

A statement by the department said that yesterday, while inspecting commercial cargo arriving at one of the airport’s cargo sheds, the officers came across a consignment of what was declared as Henna leaves.

The consignment was flagged as suspicious by the releasing officials and Customs Enforcement personnel were called to test the substance.

After offloading the pallet and inspecting all the boxes, a total of 59 packets of a green substance, weighing 113 kgs net, were elevated.

The officers were not convinced that the merchandise consisted of raw henna due to the consistency and smell, and suspected it was khat.

The help of the Police Anti-Drug Squad was requested, who seized the cargo for additional forensic laboratory tests.

Late in the evening, forensic tests confirmed that the substance was indeed khat. Khat is an illegal chewing stimulant which is listed as a dangerous drug.

The man who was to receive the items, a foreigner living in Malta who owns a shop in Hamrun, was placed under arrest pending investigation and is expected to be arraigned in Court.