GENEVA, Switzerland – A 38-year-old Brit was arrested on 9 March at the Geneva Airport  on suspicion of trying to smuggle 30 kg of khat to Switzerland.

The man, a UK resident arriving to Geneva from London, said he was unaware that the stimulant was illegal in Switzerland. It is not illegal in the United Kingdom or Holland.

While 30 kg is a significant amount, this is not uncommon at the airport in Geneva.

In 2013, police confiscated over 1.2 tons of the drug versus 623 kg in 2012.

According to Radio Television Suisse a bunch of khat of about 200 grams ready for sale, fetches in average CHF25.

The US National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that as many as 10 million people worldwide chew khat.

Photo, NIH.

Find All About Geneva on Facebook and Twitter.