The Alarming Discovery Found In Coffee Beans At A Nespresso Factory

Weird objects find their way into food all the time. Frogs have found their way into bags of frozen vegetables; Happy Meals have been served with severed chicken heads inside; and a serrated knife once came inside a Subway sandwich (via Eat This, Not That!). While foreign objects and animals have accidentally found their way onto production lines, sometimes workers place some less-than-wholesome items into your favorite products. According to IMMIgroup, smugglers have found ways to stash heroin in coffee, various drugs in carrots, cocaine in bananas, and even hashish inside melons. We all need to eat more carrots, but maybe not those carrots.

A new scandal at a Nespresso plant may put all of these past moments to shame. Reuters reports that authorities discovered 1,102 pounds of cocaine in a coffee bean bag at a coffee plant in Romont, Switzerland. The find, which equates to $50.65 million, raised some serious red flags for local police, and officials are now trying to track down the source of the drugs.

According to Reuters, Nespresso employees alerted local authorities after they encountered a strange bag of white powder while unloading coffee beans shipped from Brazil. After the police tested the powder, lab results confirmed that the substance was, in fact, cocaine. Officials at the factory have reassured consumers, saying that the drugs did not come in contact with any of the factory's products — and that all of its coffee is still safe to drink.

Furthermore, the BBC reports that the seized drugs were 80% pure, and whoever was supposed to receive the drugs most likely intended to sell the cocaine across the drug market in Europe. A police spokesperson claimed that the seizure marks a major landmark for the Fribourg constabulary, and keeping this shipment off the streets is a major victory.

This isn't the first time smugglers have tried to hide cocaine in coffee, either. As told by Food & Wine, Italian police stumbled across a drug shipment in 2020 in which each individual coffee bean contained cocaine. That shipment originated from Columbia, and the smugglers found a way to hollow out each bean, stuff them with cocaine, and reseal each one. This latest drug bust might not appear as inventive, but the massive haul that police captured ensures that about half a ton of cocaine stays off of Europe's streets. Now, if you were wondering if your coffee beans are of high quality, you can rest assured, as any drugs have been seized.