Eleven East Africans Sentenced for Trafficking Miraa to Indianapolis

Eleven people were sentenced on federal drug charges related to the distribution of cathinone, otherwise known as khat or miraa. The drug is being distributed to Indianapolis from eastern Africa, U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett said.

Authorities said cathinone is a stimulant found in the khat plant grown and harvested in Kenya, Ethiopia and other nearby countries.

The effects of the drug are similar to amphetamines, authorities said.

The FBI seized 400 kilograms of khat between Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, with the street value of the drug more than $400,000.

Here's a list of those sentenced:

• Jama Mire, 16 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Hassan Rafle, 30, 12 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Siyad Awale, 44, 12 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Yusuf Mohamed, 27, 9 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Hussein Ahmed, 32, 7 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Abdikadar Hodan, 25, 6 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Mohamed Hersi, 50, 6 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Abdi Ahmed, 37, 6 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Hashim Ahmed, 27, 6 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release
• Halima Omar, 49, 6 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release
• Handule Mohamed, 38, 2 weeks in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release

In addition to the drug charges, Hussein Ahmed and Handule Mohamed were also convicted of laundering the proceeds from drug sales through Dahabshil Inc., a money service business in Indianapolis.

"These sentencings mark the successful conclusion to one of the first khat trafficking prosecutions anywhere in the country," Hogsett said in a news release. "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."

Many of those sentenced worked as taxi drivers in Indianapolis and may have been under the influence of the drug while driving customers around.

Source: TheIndyChannel.com