He was later released after it was found that the pills and tablets contained MDMA-methylene homolog and synthetic
cathinone, which are not listed as illegal substances under Republic Act 9165, the comprehensive anti-illegal drug law, authorities said.
Khat contains the alkaloids
cathinone, norephedrin and cathine.
2 pled guilty to manufacture/delivery of 50 to 200 grams of alpha-P, synthetic
cathinone, a July 9, 2017 offense which happened in Pana.
This is a stimulant known as
cathinone and is derived from the plant khat, which is found in parts of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
The ecstasy tablets, valued at PS256,000, were among a stash that also contained 84.8g of crystal MDMA, 229g of cocaine,
cathinone derivatives (like amphetamine) worth PS774,135 and psychoactive drug mexedrone worth PS30,000.
Chen Po-chuan, head of an inspection brigade under the criminal police division at the Aviation Police Bureau, said nine packets, with a total weight of just over 9 kilograms, were found and the contents were later identified as synthetic
cathinone, which was banned in Taiwan on July 11.
The proclamation, obtained by The Post on Thursday said that khat is a plant that contains
cathinone and cathine, which are considered drugs.
In an earlier report, the NBI officials said one of the victims tested positive for MDMA (methylene homolog and methylenedioxy
cathinone), a type of ecstasy combined with other chemicals unfit for human consumption.
Alpha-PVP, α-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, is a synthetic stimulant of the
cathinone class developed in the 1960s that has been sold as a designer drug.
Bath salts are a group of central nervous system stimulants that consists mainly of synthetic
cathinone derivatives [1].
The main psychoactive agent in khat is
cathinone (S(-)-[alpha]-aminopropiophenone), which is metabolized to the less potent chemical R,S-(-)-norephedrine.