Smugglers caught in Sweden face 10 months in prison for smuggling 70 kilos of Khat while the same offense in Denmark only gives 30 days in the brig. Politicians are demanding harsher punishment.
Khat, also known as quaat, is a substance made from euphoria-inducing buds and is especially popular in Somalia. The substance is chewed to achieve a narcotic sense of bliss. Illegal in most countries khat is addictive and widely used within Somali communities in Denmark.
The Social Democrats are adamant that the punishments for khat related offences are too lax and need to be on the same level as those handed out in neighbouring Sweden.
‘The Øresund Bridge is too poorly manned on the Danish side, making it easy to smuggle drugs and weapons,’ said spokeswoman, Karen Hækkerup.‘And it doesn’t help that Khat smugglers receive such mild sentences in Denmark. The government must address this and we want to be a part of raising the punishment for Khat to equal that of Sweden,’ she added.Khat smuggling has been linked with the financing of the Somali terrorist organization, al-Shabaab and Berlingske newspaper recently established the importance of Denmark in the Khat smuggling industry. But Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen was confident that the police were focused on khat smuggling and said he was strongly considering the prospects of stiffening the sentences handed down for smuggling the narcotic into Denmark. ‘I take a serious look at anything involved in the financing of terrorism and it’s a problem if money obtained from crime in Denmark is sent to Somalia and al-Shabaab since terrorism in Somalia has ramifications for western Europe. I don’t have any qualms about tougher punishments. Not only is it a criminal milieu, there is a lot of illegal money involved, and many families are devastated due to an addiction that forces them out of work and education. So hopefully we can toughen up the sentences in Denmark.’ said Mikkelsen.
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