Half a Ton of Cocaine Found in Coffee Shipment

Nespresso says drug hasn't contaminated its coffee pods
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 6, 2022 9:33 AM CDT
Half a Ton of Cocaine Found in Coffee Shipment
This image released by Fribourg cantonal police on Friday, May 6, 2022 shows cocaine seized in the Swiss town of Romont last Monday.   (Fribourg cantonal police via AP)

After more than half a ton of cocaine was found among a shipment of coffee beans at a Nespresso plant, the company reassured customers that its coffee pods would not provide a bigger jolt than customers were used to. "The substance in question did not come into contact with any of our products or production equipment used to make our products," the company said in a statement, per Reuters. "We want to reassure consumers that all our products are safe to consume." Workers at the Romont, Switzerland, plant alerted authorities after finding the drug while unloading sacks of beans, the BBC reports.

A "large-scale security perimeter" was set up around the plant during the investigation, police said in a statement. Police said they recovered cocaine from the shipment and they later found more in five shipping containers from Brazil. Investigators said more than 1,100 pounds of cocaine was recovered. The drug was more than 80% pure, with a street value of around $50 million, police said. Marc Andrey, head of security for the Fribourg region, described the find as an "extraordinary catch." (Last year, customs officers in the US intercepted a shipment of cocaine-coated corn flakes.)

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