Police have raided a pizzeria in West Germany that served customers a side of cocaine when they ordered item number 40 on the menu, the BBC reports.

Authorities were tipped off to the scheme in March by food inspectors, and drug enforcement officers began surveilling the restaurant.

When police went to arrest the pizzeria owner in his apartment, the 36-year-old threw a bag of drugs out of the window, which "fell straight into the arms of the officers," Düsseldorf police said.

Police found 1.6 kg of cocaine, 400 g of cannabis and €268,000. The restaurateur was released by police a few days later and reopened the restaurant, continuing to sell the drug and pizza combination.

Investigators took the opportunity to explore the pizzeria's supply chain, which led them, weeks later, to bust a drug ring in West Germany.

Around 150 officers raided two cannabis plantations - one in Mönchengladbach, west of Düsseldorf, where 300 plants were found, and another in Solingen, east of the city, where 60 plants were found. The homes and businesses of 12 suspects were also searched, resulting in the arrest of three people, including a 22-year-old suspected of being the head of the drug operation.

Weapons, money and expensive watches were also found during the searches. The pizzeria manager was arrested again while trying to leave the country and remains in custody. "Number 40 was one of the best-selling pizzas," police said, without revealing the price of the pizza-cocaine combination.

(Online Union)