iStockphoto / kuri2000 / FeelPic
A pizza restaurant in Düsseldorf, Germany has been busted for selling cocaine pizza to customers which reportedly became one of the most popular items on the menu as word spread.
According to reports, customers who ordered the #40 were sold a pizza and a side of cocaine. The ‘#40’ was apparently code for ‘I want the drugs on the side’ and it was that number which somehow tipped off authorities.
An investigation was launched after a food inspector took notice of the #40 pizza inexplicably being one of the most popular items on the menu. They quickly figured it out when they got cocaine pizza after looking into the number 40 pizza.
Düsseldorf police told media the drugs “fell right into the arms of the police officers” when the pizza shop worker quite literally tossed a bag of cocaine into the arms of an undercover officer through the ordering window.
Once police confirmed the pizza shop was selling cocaine pizza they moved in and were able to confiscate 3.5 pounds of cocaine (1.6 kilos) along with 14.1 ounces of marijuana (400 grams), and over $290K in cash. You’d think the story would end there, right? Wrong.
Doubling Down On Cocaine Pizza
iStockphoto / kuri2000 / FeelPic
After the pizzeria owner was released from detention he reopened the pizza shop and quickly resumed selling the #40 cocaine pizza, according to ABC News. This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise for police.
Once the cocaine pizza ring was up and running again, police were able to follow the supply chain and believe they took down “an entire drug ring in Western Germany” which included the alleged 22-year-old kingpin of the operation. 12 homes were raided. 150 officers were involved in the busts. 360 cannabis plants were found. They also discovered knives, cash, and luxury watches.
As all of this was going down, the pizzeria owner reportedly tried to flee abroad but was apprehended and remains in custody, according to ABC News.
Is this common?
I’ve heard similar stories to this throughout the years. Years and years ago, I studied abroad in Panama which shares a border with Colombia which either was or still is the cocaine capital of the world.
I’d heard rumors about all sorts of bars in Panama City, Panama where cocaine could be ordered simply by ordering a $1 beer (happy hour) and putting a $10 bill down on the bar, or a $20. It was alleged the bartender knew what the extra money was for…
Similarly, I’ve heard stories like this from friends who have traveled across the world but I’ve never heard about it in the United States or in Europe. For this to happen in Germany and so brazenly out in the open seems unheard of.