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StumbleRegulators target Las Vegas store owner who sold drug Khat
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 | 3:15 p.m.
CARSON CITY – The state Gaming Control Board wants disciplinary action imposed on the owner of a Las Vegas convenience store who sold Khat, an illegal drug, to customers.
A complaint was filed against Worku Y. Berhanu, owner of the Dakota Convenience Store, 990 Sierra Vista Drive, which holds a license to operate slot machines.
Khat, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, is a drug that produces delusions and hallucinations. It is a Schedule 1 controlled substance when fresh, and after decomposition becomes a Schedule 4 controlled substance.
The DEA says it has been widely used since the 13th century as a recreational drug by indigenous people in the Middle East but there is no legitimate medical use for Khat in this country.
Metro Police conducted surveillance of the store in 2008 and on two occasions stopped individuals with bags of Khat, who said they had purchased it.
Berhanu told police the drug was for his own use. He then pleaded guilty last year to the misdemeanor of possession of dangerous drugs.
The control board, in its complaint, is asking the state Gaming Commission to levy a fine against Berhanu and to take action against his license.
The complaint, prepared by Senior Deputy Attorney General Michael Somps, said Berhanu’s actions reflect negatively on the state and the gaming business.
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Khat??? never heard of that one.. If it has been around since the thirteenth century, I imagine the DEA will not be able to stamp it out.
How in the hell did he get that stuff into Vegas? The DEA will not be able to stamp out any drug. They are around forever unfortunately.
Just look for people with Meth Mouth. I think it does the same thing to the physical appearance as meth.
How have you never heard of Khat? It was all anyone could talk about when we were in Somalia.
"How have you never heard of Khat? It was all anyone could talk about when we were in Somalia."
Yeah, supposedly drives the natives into a drugged out frenzy where they pretty much run into enemy fire and can't feel it when they get shot up (they still die, of course), sort of like the reputation PCP gets. You have to chew a lot before that happens, though. Apparently the natives who won the Battle of Mogadishu were on this (this is the Blackhawk Down battle). We lost 19, they lost 1000+. They didn't care how many they lost and had thousands more so we left!
Sounds like the same guy that sold the "roofies" by mistake to the poor fellas in town on the bachelor party night...