German Pizzeria Delivered Marijuana and Cocaine with Pizza
In Germany, a pizzeria was found to be illegally delivering marijuana and cocaine to customers along with their pizza orders for an extra fee.
Drug Dealers Grew Their Own Cannabis
In March 2024, food safety inspectors discovered that a pizzeria in Düsseldorf was selling illegal psychoactive substances. Police began surveillance of the staff and later conducted a search. During the raid, one employee threw a bag out the window, which was found to contain 1.6 kilograms of cocaine, 400 grams of marijuana, and €268,000 (about 28 million rubles) in cash.
One or more employees were arrested, but the restaurant manager reopened the pizzeria just two days after the police raid. This allowed law enforcement to uncover the drug supply chain and identify at least 16 people involved in the sale of marijuana and cocaine. Additionally, police discovered two cannabis farms in Mönchengladbach and Solingen, owned by the gang, where 360 cannabis plants were being cultivated.
It turned out that anyone could buy a pizza with cocaine by ordering “pizza number 40” at the café. The code phrase for ordering pizza with marijuana remains unknown. Police also did not disclose how much customers had to pay for home delivery of the drugs.
Leniency for Those Convicted of Marijuana Offenses
In April of this year, Germany legalized possession of up to 50 grams of marijuana and the cultivation of up to three cannabis plants for personal use. However, products containing cannabinoids can only be sold in licensed cannabis clubs. Therefore, the pizzeria employees still face criminal charges for selling marijuana.
Nevertheless, due to the liberalization of drug policy, many German cannabis users can expect leniency. After the partial legalization of cannabis took effect on April 1, lawyers began reviewing about 280,000 criminal cases against cannabis users. As a result, at least 33 people were released from prison in Bavaria alone, and tens of thousands had their sentences reduced or overturned if they were convicted before the drug law reform.
Legalizing cannabis has also proven financially beneficial for the state. Experts estimate that Germany will save €1.3 billion (about 135.6 billion rubles) annually by reducing law enforcement costs related to cannabis users. Once the government allows cannabis sales in stores, these savings are expected to increase even further.