Police Bust Pizzeria Serving "Best-Selling" Side of Cocaine

If you thought pineapple was the most controversial pizza topping, think again.

A German pizzeria was raided by local police after they were tipped off that the restaurant was allegedly serving customers their orders with a side of cocaine.

The establishment, located in the western city of Düsseldorf, allegedly served patrons the drug when they ordered a “number 40” off their menu, The Guardian reported Oct. 22, citing police.

“It was one of the most-sold pizzas,” chief inspector Michael Graf von Moltke told reporters, per the outlet. “That was new to us and surprised us because the owner had never been accused of drug crimes.”

Authorities were first alerted to the alleged illegal operation by food inspectors in March, leading drug squad officers to monitor the restaurant, according to the inspector. When police arrived at the restaurant manager’s apartment to arrest him, he allegedly threw a bag full of drugs out the window, which Düsseldorf law enforcement said “fell right into the arms of the officers.”

Inside the apartment, the officers said they found 3.5 lbs of cocaine, 14.1 oz of cannabis and €268,000 (US$288,976) in cash, as well as weapons including a handgun, an axe and several knives, per The Guardian.

The pizzeria manager, whose name has not been made public, resumed serving the drug-fueled combo shortly after his release from custody, police told The Guardian. This allowed authorities to trace his supply chain to a 22-year-old Russian-born mixed martial arts fighter, whom police said they believe was dealing illegal substances and attacking rival dealers.

The man, who is also accused of holding one rival dealer hostage, was arrested alongside two other alleged associates and could face up to 15 years behind bars for narcotics felonies and kidnapping, according to prosecutor Laura Neumann.

As for the pizzeria manager, he was arrested again while attempting to flee the country and remains behind bars, the BBC reported citing police.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.