Police raid German takeaway after 'best-selling' special found to be pizza with a side of cocaine

22 October 2024, 16:04

Police raiding a pizzeria in Germany made a striking discovery after the takeaways 'best-selling' special turned out to be a deep-dish accompanied by a side of cocaine.

The local pizzeria was busted by police after it allegedly delivered one of its dishes with a side order of white powder.

It's been claimed by prosecutors that the Dusseldorf that the establishment in west Germany began serving up special menu item "number 40" on their menu.

However, the price of the special order remains unknown.

"That was one of the best-selling pizzas," criminal director Michael Graf von Moltke told reporters.

Police say they were first tipped off about the "special order" by food inspectors in March.

Following the tip off, German drug squad officers soon sussed out the unique selling point of secret menu item number 40, Mr Graf confirmed.

The police conducted a raid of a nearby premises shortly after, with the apartment belonging to the pizzeria's manager.

It's claimed that upon the force's arrival, the 36-year-old from Croatian allegedly threw a large bag of drugs, believed to be cocaine, straight out of the window and “right into the arms of the police officers,” Düsseldorf police said.

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As part of the raid, German authorities are said to have seized 1.6kg of cocaine, 40g of cannabis and €268,000 (£223,480) in cash.

The manager was detained for a few days before being released - and returning the "special order" number 40 to the pizzeria's menu.

The decision allowed police to look into the drug supply chain that fuelled the restaurant's special pizza order, with the some 150 police officers cracking an entire drug ring in western Germany as a result.

Three suspects were arrested as part of the wider bust - including the 22-year-old head of the drug operation, who is believed to be Russian.

The pizzeria manager was eventually arrested after attempting to flee the country.

It also led to raids on the homes of 12 further suspects, busting two cannabis plantations in nearby city of Mönchengladbach, and the city of Solingen, where 300 and 60 plants respectively.

As part of the raids the force also found an array of weapons, as well as cash and expensive watches, dpa news agency reported.