Cops: Pizzeria's No. 40 Came With Cocaine

They say it was one of the best-selling pizzas at German restaurant
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 23, 2024 3:01 PM CDT
Police Bust Pizzeria Cocaine Ring
Police haven't disclosed how much the special order cost.   (Getty Images/Laboko)

"The number 40 was one of the best-selling pizzas" at a pizzeria in western Germany, police say, and it wasn't because of the toppings. Police say they broke up a drug ring after learning that customers who asked for the No. 40 received a side order of cocaine. the BBC reports. Chief Inspector Michael Graf von Moltk says investigators started watching the Dusseldorf restaurant after a routine inspection found the drug in its kitchen, reports the Guardian. He said that after noticing the popularity of the No. 40, investigators discovered that a packet of cocaine was placed under each pie.

Police say that when the pizzeria's owner was arrested in March, he threw a bag of drugs out of his apartment window and it "fell right into the arms of the police officers." He was released within days because he had no criminal record. Police say the man quickly resumed selling pizza with a side of cocaine, which gave them the opportunity to track his supply chain and make more arrests. The pizzeria owner was arrested a second time as he tried to flee the country, the BBC reports.

Police say the pizzeria is now closed and the owner has been in custody since August. The Guardian reports that the restaurant's slogan was, "We deliver everything home to you." As to how much the No. 40 cost and what toppings it had, "even if we knew, we wouldn't release it," a police spokesperson says. (In 2017, police said "extra olives" was code for cocaine at a Papa John's in Washington state.)

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