German Pizza Shop Busted for Allegedly Serving Cocaine

A pizza restaurant in Germany was busted recently for serving more than crushed red peppers on the side of its pizzas.

The Guardian reports that an unnamed restaurant in Düsseldorf had a popular menu option called Pizza 40. Its popularity wasn't due to its taste; rather, it came with a small packet of cocaine underneath each pizza.

Chief Inspector Michael Graf von Moltke stated that police had been investigating the pizzeria since March, when a routine food inspection uncovered drugs in the kitchen. Narcotics investigators soon noticed that Pizza No. 40 was a favorite among customers.

When police questioned the shop owner, the 36-year-old man threw a bag stuffed with drugs out of a window, coincidentally landing in the arms of waiting officers. They recovered three and a half pounds of cocaine, 400 grams of cannabis, and €268,000 in cash, along with a handgun, an axe, long knives, and expensive watches.

Just a few days after being released from custody, the shop owner reopened and resumed selling the pizza. Because of this officers were able to trace where he got the drugs from.

This culminated in the discovery of the narcotics delivery scheme that led to the searches of 16 different locations in nine different cities by 150 officers. Three suspects were arrested and caches of weapons were seized.

According to prosecutor Laura Neumann, the group was believed to have been buying large amounts of cocaine and cannabis and then selling them to other dealers. They were also believed to be growing marijuana in their private homes.

In case you’re wondering, the pizza shop is now closed.