T

he National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has announced it plans to raid areas in Cianjur, West Java, where it suspects khat, a flowering shrub classified as drug, is being cultivated.

BNN head Budi Waseso recently ordered the agency’s chapter in Cianjur to launch a raid into three districts — Cipanas, Pacet and Sukaresmi — to search for the herbal stimulant, which is locally known as “Arabian tea.”

BNN Cianjur head Hendrik said on Sunday that khat contains cathinone, hence it is classified as a category one narcotic in this country. Hendrik added that the shrub was also cultivated in northern parts of Cianjur.

“The plant became famous after the arrest of Indonesian entertainer Raffi Ahmad in 2013. After the plant was banned in Bogor, growers targeted Cianjur as a new planting area,” he said, as quoted by antaranews.com.

According to Hendrik, cathinone causes euphoria, hyperactivity and loss of appetite in those consuming it.

Lika Nurhayati, a member of the Cianjur Legislative Council, said council members were ready to help the BNN educate citizens about the dangers of khat so that people would not be fooled by those trafficking the drug.