A West London café may lose its licence after police officers twice found customers in possession of khat. The Class C drug, which was banned in 2014, is a leafy green plant chewed by users and has similar effects to amphetamine. It is used most commonly in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsular.
The Met Police has requested Hammersmith and Fulham Council revokes the licence held by 97-98 Sports Café in Shepherds Bush, having discovered the drug on the premises twice in the last 12 months. The review has also been supported by the council’s licensing team, plus three representations from local residents.
Samuel Tseguy, the licence holder, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the café serves as a community hub for locals with backgrounds in countries like Eritrea and Egypt, likening it to ‘your local pub’. Mr Tseguy told the LDRS he does not sell or take khat himself, and that it is not comparable to harder drugs such as heroin. He said: “It’s not like something that gets you high or anything. They just do it for the sake of it in all honesty.”
In a statement submitted by PC Nicole Sondh, the two incidents in which khat was found are dated as March 22 and November 5 2024. On the first occasion, the statement reports officers from the Safer Neighbourhood Team attended the café and found ‘several males grinding a green substance’. It states Mr Tseguy was not present, and that following an investigation conducted by officers and the subsequent arrival of Mr Tseguy, the substance was identified as khat.
Khat farmer Naima Ahmed cleans branches in her family field outside Harar, Ethiopia on April 16, 2024
(Image: MICHELE SPATARI/AFP via Getty Images)
PC Sondh writes it was apparent that those in possession of the drug ‘including Mr Tseguy’ were unaware it was illegal, and so officers advised on its status and confiscated the khat. The police’s licensing team were made aware of a second incident on November 5 in which Safer Neighbourhood officers issued nine community resolutions to people in the café for possession of khat.
Mr Tseguy was again not present, the statement reads, with PC Sondh writing he ‘does not appear to have any control of the running of the premises and is unable to promote the licensing objectives effectively by continually allowing the possession of drugs on his premises’.
A separate document shows Westminster Magistrates’ Court issued a closure order on November 21, to last three months. The council’s Licensing Team Manager, Adrian Overton, writes in his submission that there have been previous incidents at the premises which he believes show licensing objectives have not been promoted.
The three representations from members of the public supporting the review meanwhile raise concerns including the use of drugs at the premises, claims of excessive noise late into the night and groups hanging around outside the café.
One person wrote: “The cumulative effect of these issues is unacceptable, and I strongly object to this license application. The café has proven itself incapable of operating responsibly or maintaining a positive relationship with the community. Approving this licence would only perpetuate the problems we are already facing.”
Mr Tseguy added that the café is a community space, and he hopes councillors will not vote to remove his licence. “It was not my fault, so I am like a sandwich being eaten by both sides,” he said.
The council’s Licensing Sub-Committee is due to make a decision at a meeting next Tuesday, January 21.
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