ON March 8, a special squad of the narcotics division of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department seized qat plants valued at RM3,000 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport's free zone cargo area.
The plant was declared upon entry but when chemical tests were conducted, it was found they contained cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant.
The department's narcotics division deputy director Mohd Subri Awang said as cathinone was listed in the First Schedule Part III of Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, this made the qat plant illegal here.