Wichita ? Khat, an illegal drug that produces an amphetamine-like high when chewed, smoked or brewed, was found for the first time in Wichita during a traffic stop, police said.

The officer, who recognized the khat from some training he had attended, saw bundles of the leaves in the back seat of a truck he had pulled over Wednesday. The driver was arrested on drug charges after police found 45 pounds of it in the vehicle.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever had a case of it here in Wichita,” Police Capt. John Speer said.

Khat, which contains natural amphetamines, can induce mild euphoria and excitement. Users become talkative and may appear emotionally unstable.

Although illegal in the United States, khat is common in Yemen on the Arabian peninsula and in the African nations of Somalia and Ethiopia. The drug has become a problem primarily in the northwestern United States.

The man arrested is a Somali who lives in Minnesota, Speer said.

Police said the man was likely driving home from Texas when he was arrested in Wichita and they don’t expect khat to become a problem in Wichita.

“It’s a cultural thing,” said Lt. Ralph Clark. “If we had a large Somalian population here in Wichita, we might start seeing more of it.”