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Half a Ton of Cocaine Seized at Nestlé Factory?! All Hidden in Coffee Beans from Brazil??

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, According to a May 5th Reuters report, a worker at Nestlé's factory in Romont, Switzerland discovered some unknown white powder while unloading a container of coffee beans that had just arrived from Brazil, and immediately contacted local police for a joint investigation. After analysis by the police forensic department, these unknown white powders were determined to be over 8% purity cocaine.

Cocaine Found in Coffee Beans at Nestlé Factory

According to Reuters on May 5, a staff member at Nestlé's factory in Romont, Switzerland discovered some unknown white powder while unloading a container of coffee beans that had just arrived from Brazil, and immediately contacted local police for a joint investigation.

After analysis by the police forensic department, it was determined that the unknown white powder was cocaine with a purity exceeding 80%. Subsequently, local police searched five containers containing Brazilian coffee beans that arrived that day, ultimately discovering and seizing over 500 kilograms of cocaine, estimated to be worth more than 50 million Swiss francs (approximately 330 million RMB).

According to preliminary police investigations, the five containers of coffee beans were shipped from Brazil to Romont, Switzerland. After the incident, police have investigated and arrested several customs officials. Meanwhile, relevant investigators stated that the entire search operation was conducted within an isolation area established at the factory to prevent cocaine from entering the production line.

Subsequently, Nestlé also stated in an email declaration: "The coffee beans related to this incident will not come into contact with any products or production equipment within the factory. Swiss police are currently conducting further investigations, and the company cannot disclose more details to everyone. However, we (Nestlé) can assure consumers that the products produced at this factory are safe to consume."

Drug Trafficking Mistakes and Similar Incidents

For similar incidents, they are mostly caused by drug trafficking gangs putting drugs in the wrong containers, which then happened to be placed in containers bound for Nestlé's coffee beans. The situation was not as reported online that police found cocaine inside the Nestlé factory. Rather, factory personnel discovered unknown white powder while unloading coffee beans and reported it to the police, who then seized the cocaine.

Coffee beans and white powder illustration

Why is it said that drug trafficking gangs put drugs in the wrong containers? Because such incidents happen frequently... mostly local drug dealers bribe port officials, then put drugs into containers destined for relevant destinations for export. However, since there are many containers at ports, these are generally nighttime operations, and the people doing this usually have low education levels and don't verify container information in detail, often leading to wrong containers being loaded and ending up in different places... Previously, similar "bloopers" have occurred domestically.

Shanghai Case: Mishandled Drug Container

On February 9, 2021, the anti-drug unit of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau received a notification from the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) transferred by the Ministry of Public Security's Anti-Drug Bureau. An international cargo ship, while stopping at Kingston Port, Jamaica, had loaded a container suspected of containing drugs, with the container's ending number being 4071. Before this, the cargo ship had already docked at ports in six different countries and regions. Although INTERPOL had also issued notifications requesting interception, they were unsuccessful for various reasons. Currently, this cargo ship is heading to Shanghai, China.

After receiving the notification, Shanghai police immediately formed a special task force with customs departments to start investigations. Under existing conditions, the task force could not yet contact staff from the international shipping company, so they first went to Yangshan Port to understand the unloading process from staff. At 11:00 AM on March 2, 2021, after the target cargo ship docked at Yangshan Port Phase I terminal for unloading, they found container number 4071 and determined it contained marijuana worth over 150 million yuan.

Customs officers inspecting containers at port

To determine if there were downstream recipients, the task force decided to place substitutes with similar shape and weight into the container. Subsequently, container 4071 was placed together with other empty containers, and the task force began 24-hour uninterrupted surveillance. In the end, it was actually a chemical company that came to "pick up the goods"...

After leaving the port, the truck drove to a logistics park in Pudong. After container 4071 was unloaded, the truck left. The system showed that the transport subject of this order was "pesticide dangerous goods," planned for customs declaration on March 8, and to be shipped to Kenya on March 13. However, in subsequent investigations, police found that the container pickup and delivery processes were random. The logistics company transporting container 4071 showed no suspicious signs.

Investigation Results and Conclusion

While domestic police were still wondering why this supposedly empty container contained marijuana, INTERPOL sent the latest notification: two members of an international drug trafficking organization were arrested separately in the United States and Jamaica, one of whom was an insider working at Kingston Port, Jamaica. They took advantage of the cargo ship's docking opportunity to secretly put marijuana into the container, but loaded the wrong one... which then ended up in Shanghai... (The chemical company almost became the scapegoat...)

And this time, the coffee beans received at the Nestlé factory contained cocaine, which is also unfair... Many netizens expressed after reading the report that their Nestlé coffee no longer tasted good... Don't worry, after all, Nestlé wouldn't engage in such a losing business.