Chinese customs officials have arrested three persons after seizing over 700 kilogrammes of khat received from Ethiopia from their possession, a banned plant used as stimulant.
The officials first found 14 kilogrammes of the leafy shrub, typically grown in the Arabian Peninsula, in an international parcel from Ethiopia on December 26 in the northeastern city of Shenyang.
They have since found more khat parcels in Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shenzhen, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Three people were arrested for receiving the parcels containing 705 kilogrammes of khat from Ethiopia and sending them to other countries for profit, according to Shenyang customs officials.