Nearly half a ton of the narcotic stimulant “khat” was discovered by tax bureau inspectors at the Athens International Airport over the recent period, with the drug haul announced on Sunday.

Also known as “Abyssinian Tea”, the flowering evergreen shrub – scientific name “Catha Edulis” – is primarily cultivated and used in the Horn of Africa, along the shores of eastern Africa and Yemen. The drug is also smuggled into western Europe and North America, destined mostly for communities of expatriates hailing from the latter regions.

The shipment of dried khat leaves, with an estimated street value of 1.5 million euros, was hidden in four containers with a declared cargo consisting of curtains, bed sheets and fabrics. The shipment had arrived from Israel, with the destination being the United States.

A sample check by inspectors affiliated with the airport’s customs and smuggling interdiction unit discovered the illegal drugs.

The largest shipment of khat previously intercepted at the Athens Airport was 458 kilos in 2014.