Kansas City Man Indicted for Distributing Khat

KANSAS CITY, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Missouri man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for distributing cathinone, a controlled substance found in graba, a dried form of khat.

Omar Nur, also known as “Juello” or “J’ello,” 29, an American citizen of Somalian nationality, was charged in a four-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 18, 2013. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Nur’s arrest and initial court appearance.

Khat is a green leafy plant grown in East Africa, which, when consumed (normally by chewing), produces delusions, hallucinations, or feelings of euphoria. In this form it contains cathinone, a controlled substance. When the khat is dried, it is commonly referred to as graba and can still test for the presence of cathinone.

The federal indictment alleges that Nur participated in a conspiracy to distribute khat between March 16, 2011 and April 1, 2013. In addition to the conspiracy, Nur is charged with three counts related to distributing khat.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Nur to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of $50,000, representing income from Nur’s illegal sale and distribution of khat, as well as $20,533 that was seized by law enforcement officers at Nur’s residence.

This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Gregg R. Coonrod. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available online at http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/index.html.