11 sentenced for drug trafficking

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The United States Attorney announced Friday morning that eleven people charged with drug trafficking have been successfully prosecuted.

The defendants were charged with trafficking of cathinone, often called “khat.” Khat is a new drug being imported into the Indianapolis area from eastern Africa. The majority of the khat involved in the trafficking were shipped from the Horn of Africa to the Netherlands or the United Kingdom, and then brought to Indianapolis.

During the investigation, the FBI seized more than 400 kilograms of the drug being transported between Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio. The street value of the drugs seized during the investigation was about $400 thousand.

"These sentencing’s mark the successful conclusion to one of the first khat trafficking
prosecutions anywhere in the country," Hogsett noted. "In this case, we have a powerful example
of how effective law enforcement can be when working collaboratively to combat new and
growing dangers to our community."

Two of the defendants were also convicted of laundering the proceeds of the drug business through Dahabshil, a business operating out of Indianapolis.