Pizza No 40 was long one of the best-selling dishes at a restaurant in the German city of Düsseldorf, until police discovered the secret ingredient: a side of cocaine.
Authorities say uncovering the illicit narcotics delivery scheme allowed them to smash an organised crime ring in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. About 150 officers, including from elite units, last week searched 16 properties in nine cities, arrested three suspects and seized caches of weapons, the news agency DPA reported.
Ch Insp Michael Graf von Moltke said police had had the pizzeria, in a popular party district of the city, in their sights since March, when a routine food inspection uncovered the drug in the kitchen. Narcotics investigators put the business under surveillance and noticed that Pizza No 40 was a customer favourite.
“It was one of the most-sold pizzas,” Von Moltkesaid. A packet of cocaine was placed under each pie. “That was new to us and surprised us because the owner had never been accused of drug crimes.”
The pizzeria’s advertising slogan was “We deliver everything home to you.” It was not immediately clear what the business charged for No 40 or what its toppings were. “Even if we knew, we wouldn’t release it,” a police spokesperson said.
When officers arrived to question the 36-year-old shop owner, the Croatian national allegedly threw a bag stuffed with drugs out the window. “It fell into the arms of the officers,” police said.
Officers confiscated 1.6kg of cocaine, 400g of cannabis and €268,000 in cash as well as expensive watches and a handgun, an axe and long-bladed knives believed to be part of the gang’s arsenal.
Two days after being released from custody because he had no previous criminal record, the owner reopened the shop and began selling his blockbuster pizza again, allowing investigators to trace his supply chain.
They quickly came upon a “violent and unscrupulous” prime suspect, Von Moltke said, a 22-year-old Russian-born mixed martial arts fighter who was known to police and who authorities believe was dealing cocaine and large amounts of cannabis in violation of recently liberalised drug laws.
He is suspected of repeatedly attacking and robbing rival dealers, one of whom was allegedly held hostage for two nights before a large amount of hashish was stolen from his home.
Police said the 22-year-old, as well as a 30-year-old German alleged dealer from Cologne and a 28-year-old Moroccan captured in Haan near Düsseldorf, were in custody, while another 12 people were considered suspects. The pizzeria owner has been in custody since August and his shop is now closed.
Prosecutor Laura Neumann said the gang was accused of buying “kilos” of cannabis and cocaine and selling them to other dealers in addition to growing their own marijuana in private flats, one of which, in Mönchengladbach, had more than 300 plants. The wife of one of the suspects lived in the home along with their three children, who have been taken into foster care.
Neumann said the Russian national, who moved to Germany as a teenager, could face up to 15 years in prison for narcotics felonies and kidnapping.
German media noted the similarity of the case to the cult comedy Lammbock”from 2001, in which two pizzeria owners start delivering pies with cannabis wrapped in aluminium foil and hidden under the middle slice of salami.
Last week, Berlin police arrested a 24-year-old driver who was allegedly hiding cocaine deliveries in soft drinks cans.
