Police Say Papa John's Had More Than Pizza in Its Boxes

Employees accused of slinging cocaine out of restaurant
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 3, 2017 4:59 PM CDT
Cops: Employees Slinging Cocaine Out of Papa John's
Stock image   (Getty Images/Vasko)

"You don’t think, like, 'Is my pizza going to be covered in cocaine today?'" a surprised Papa John's customer tells KIRO. Police in Washington state arrested two Papa John's employees Friday for allegedly selling cocaine out of the restaurant. CNN reports an investigation into the Papa John's location started in December. Police say undercover detectives were able to buy cocaine from the employees on four separate occasions. "They'd order pizza and go out and wait in the parking lot," a King County Sheriff's Office spokesperson says. "The employee would bring the pizza out and in the box would be the cocaine." Undercover detectives would tell employees to "give it extra olives" when ordering, hence the investigation's name: Operation Extra Olives.

Following Friday's arrests, investigators found cocaine residue around the Papa John's register and in the employee washing area. A former employee at the Papa John's says she believes her coworkers used to do cocaine in the bathroom. Authorities are working on cleanup procedures at the restaurant, SeattlePI.com reports. Three friends of the Papa John's employees were also arrested Friday on suspicion of selling drugs to the undercover detectives. Authorities seized cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, Oxycodone, LSD, meth, and $28,000 in cash. The five suspects are between the ages of 18 and 26. (More weird crimes stories.)

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