Thirty-one kilograms of the illicit drug Khat were seized at the Calgary airport Saturday and two women are now facing charges .
Border officials seized the amphetamine-type drug from the luggage of the two women inbound from London, England, last Saturday, RCMP revealed yesterday.
“It was simply stored in the luggage, not concealed at all,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Patrick Webb said of the chewable, plant-like root drug from Africa.
It’s the largest bust of the year involving the drug, though Webb says there have been four seizures in 2010.
“People may have used before and want to use again. We have seen more of this in the city and I suspect it’s due to the rising immigrant population,” Webb added.
While the drug may be legal in other countries, it’s illegal in Canada, Webb says.
Officers found the drug upon a further inspection of the two women’s luggage, officials say.
Melinda Zsuzsanna Meszaros, 36, and Katalin Racsko, 56, both of London, England, have been charged with importation of a controlled substance and appeared in Alberta provincial court Monday facing charges.
