Pizza number 40 was the bestseller in the range, and according to German investigators, Stipe R. distributed cocaine under that code name.
All those who would order “number 40” would not receive a pizza through delivery, but a package of drugs worth 40 euros.
“The accused is accused of storing several kilograms of cocaine in that place as the owner of a pizzeria in the old town of Düsseldorf and then selling it to customers from the pizzeria,” Julian Staut from the State Prosecutor’s Office in Düsseldorf told DW.
The trial takes place at the Regional Court (Landgericht) in the capital of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For now, five hearings are planned, and the verdict should be pronounced on February 12.
It is possible that at the end of those five days it will not be necessary and that the court proceedings will end earlier. It is also possible to schedule additional hearings, Judge Vera Drees, spokeswoman for the Landgericht in Düsseldorf, told DW.
Stipe R. with lawyers in the Landgericht Düsseldorf. 37 years old, born in Zadar, trained as a chef. He moved to DE in 2014. He first worked in restaurants in the west of the country, and opened a pizzeria in 2018. He is cooperative, gives concrete answers, says he wants to ‘lead a normal life’ again. https://t.co/8SFbnI4nQE pic.twitter.com/0twlK5S9Wl
— Srećko Matić (@srecko_matic) January 22, 2025
An enormous amount of cash
During the first day of the trial, the State Prosecutor’s Office read the indictment in the morning hours, and after that, the accused Stipe R. was given the opportunity to testify about everything, that is, to react to all the charges against him.
In the afternoon, the first witness was heard, a policewoman who participated in the arrest of Stipe R. and the search of his apartment and pizzeria. Among other things, she said that during the search of the apartment, an enormous amount of cash was found, and the manual counting, as she stated, took several hours.
Evidence material was also presented in the courtroom, which, as the State Prosecutor’s Office claims, proves without a doubt the manner in which narcotics were traded, that is, it gives an insight into the quantities of drugs involved. In the photographs, one could see numerous packets of cocaine and cannabis, as well as large amounts of cash on the shelves and in the warehouse of the pizzeria, that is, in the apartment where R lived.
“He is charged with trafficking in narcotics in significant quantities. It is a crime for which a minimum one-year prison sentence is provided in the Federal Republic of Germany. In this particular case, the defendant must count on a multi-year prison sentence,” state prosecutor Staut confirmed to DW.
After the first-instance verdict, there is a possibility of revision before the Supreme Court. Is the accused Croat threatened with deportation after the final verdict? The state prosecutor answered the journalist’s question only briefly: “That option is very possible.”
The lawyers defending the Croatian defendant did not want to make statements to the media today. They feel that it could be “counterproductive” for their client at this point.
Fatal control
The owner of the pizzeria was not previously known to the German judicial authorities. As confirmed by the State Prosecutor’s Office, Stipe R. was targeted by investigators only in March of last year. Due to the suspicion of illegal work in his premises, an inspection was carried out in that building. On that occasion, the drug found there caught the eye of the inspectors.
The police were informed about everything. Not long after that, police officers knocked on the door of the apartment where Stipe R was staying. In a panic, he threw a bag from the balcony of that multi-story building, which, according to the indictment, contained almost 264,000 euros, more than 200 grams of cannabis and approximately 1.6 kilograms of cocaine.
“The bag literally fell into the hands of the police officers who were in front of the building,” confirmed the State Attorney’s Office.
The Croatian citizen was then arrested for the first time, but was released after only two days. A few days later he went to a pizzeria and – continued to sell pizza number 40.
Attempt to escape to Croatia
German investigators then began monitoring Stipe R.’s bar in order to gather more information about who distributes drugs, that is, who are the people who manage that network and how big it is.
Stipe R. was arrested again on August 21 last year. He has been in pre-trial detention since then. He was detained there for trying to escape abroad. Namely, he planned to quickly sell the bar and flee to Croatia.
The German judiciary charges him with organized drug trafficking and membership in a criminal group. If proven guilty, he faces several years in prison. R. arrived in Germany only a few years ago. According to his own statements, he was dissatisfied with the situation in Croatia and wanted to try his hand at entrepreneurship.
In a raid carried out in October 2024, the police, based on information from the surveillance of his pizzeria, also arrested a 22-year-old man from Düsseldorf, who is considered the head of a drug-trafficking gang. A 28-year-old man from nearby Haan and a 30-year-old man from Cologne were also detained.
Criminal network broken
150 police officers, i.e. members of the special services, participated in the raids in the area of several cities in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the police, a network of drug dealers was broken up, which involved 12 people. Among other things, the police officers discovered two cannabis plantations, and several weapons, several expensive watches and cash were confiscated.
The arrested 22-year-old, a citizen of Russia, faces a maximum prison sentence of up to 15 years for drug trafficking and other serious crimes, state attorney Laura Neumann confirmed.
For now, the date of the start of court proceedings against him and his two accomplices is not known.
Moving to Germany
Stipe R. was born in 1987 in Zadar. His father died last year, and his seriously ill mother, as confirmed during today’s hearing, lives in a village near Zadar. After finishing elementary school, R. learned the trade of a chef.
He moved to Germany in 2014. In the first few years, he worked in restaurants in the area of Duisburg and Düsseldorf. And in 2018, he opened his pizzeria in the old town (“Altstadt”).
During the first day of the trial, Stipe R. was cooperative, he specifically answered the judge’s questions, and he expressed his readiness for further cooperation with the investigative authorities. When asked by the judge what his plans are after the trial and serving the possible sentence, R. answered only briefly: “I want to lead a normal life again.”
(Vijesti.ba)
