We love chile rellenos, but this is just silly. A store in NYC sold peppers stuffed with cocaine to three different customers, none of whom knew they were getting a little something extra in their produce.
The store owners told police that the peppers were imported from South America and that they had no idea what was inside.
COKE STASHED IN DOCTORED PEPPER [Who Else But The New York Post]
(Photo:Mr. Oliver)
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That would kinda suck if you had past charges for possession.
@Winterfall007: “But your honor, thus stuff just keeps showing up in produce I buy.”
Imagine eating that laced pepper,while having a toilet stall fall on you while applying toxic makeup?
@nevets68: How about eating that pepper with peanut butter on it?
@theblackdog: While wearing a Nazi T-shirt.
@Real Cheese Flavor: A Nazi t-shirt that was purchased at Wal-Mart.
@nevets68: …while wearing a snuggie!
@WorldHarmony: So I’m imagining eating a peanut butter and cocaine pepper while applying toxic makeup in a collapsed Toys R Us washroom stall, dressed in my Walmart Nazi snuggie. Have I missed anything>
@Raindrip: How about when the woman goes back to the store to complain, the manager calls her an idiot and threatens to zap her with his shrink ray?
“doctored pepper” made me chortle. Let’s hear it for good puns!
@WiglyWorm: Didn’t even catch that! niiice haha
@WiglyWorm: I was always more of a Coke guy?
@WiglyWorm: I can’t believe the New York Post made that pun. It’s hardly scandalous or in bad taste at all.
@WiglyWorm: I just bought a t-shirt that says “Communists have no class.”
My wife said it’s stupid.
@WiglyWorm: Your use of the word “chortle” made me chortle.
I guess the plan was to smuggle the peppers over the border and then…take off with the truck and crack them open later…
Also, kudos to the “doctored pepper” headline, NY Post.
How many more people got them and stayed quiet? I don’t know about you but if I got some free cocaine in my pepper I’d say it was an early Christmas present for some of my no good friends.
@cuchanu: “hey bill, yeah, I just found this mysterious white powder in a pepper I bought, why don’t you ingest it and let me know it goes.”
@Rugbyjersey: LOL. Right!
@cuchanu: “an early Christmas present for some of my very good friends.”
There, fixed!
@cuchanu:
You could consider a stimulus package, and make a little extra cash with it. Damn, why can’t I ever get that lucky?
Of course if I did, I would be the one cuffed and stuffed for selling it.
@Raiders757: I think you mean stimulant package.
@cuchanu: yeah…for my ummmmm….friends….{shifty eyes}
You’d think the extra weight would’ve made the customers suspicious…
@joe18521: Yeah, really. You want to buy the firmest, lightest pepper you can find — you pay by the pound after all, and the heavy ones are (usually) just filled with seeds that you throw away.
Maybe people will start buying heavy peppers now, hoping for a prize inside.
@bluewyvern:
Sometimes you pay per pepper (2/$3, etc.)
And at 1.99 a pound, a wicked bargain.
@Jabberkaty: For sure!!
I’m predicting a run on peppers this week
It is hard to argue this is a fraud on the consumer. Jabberkaty is right, at 1.99 this is a real bargain. If we were less scrupulous it would make the morning deals.
“Hint hint, Go buy peppers. Now!”
I bet they sold to more than three customers, the others just had enough sense to keep the goods!
@n0ia: My thoughts exactly.
another reason to love peppers
Btw, Win on the Chile Rellenos comment. Apparently, an editor on the Consumerist knows way better places to find them than I do. I need to start asking around for the “good” ones.
@Crystal Wojcinski: They just opened up this little hole-in-the-wall around the corner, called Texas. Working out great for any and all of my chili needs.
See, it’s stories like this that make not understand all the “This story has to be fake or exaggerated” comments. Cocaine is found in produce but people can’t believe that a retail employee would insult a customer unprovoked.
Also, how the heck to you get cocaine into a pepper and not leave any visible damage? This worries me…
@Rectilinear Propagation: Just cut the pepper around where existing damage or marks are, or in a pattern typical of common damage. Apply glue to seal it back up so it doesn’t come open on its own.
@Skaperen: I wonder if you could do this while the pepper was still on the vine. Especially with red and yellow bell peppers, since they reach full size weeks before they ripen. You could slip in a little bag while the pepper is still growing, and a few days later it would have healed shut leaving just a small scar.
When our cucumbers are attacked by squash vine borers we find the bug in the vine, slice the grub with a razor and then use a dab of super glue to seal the stem back shut. Usually works pretty well in our small garden.
Tomacco has a new competitor.
@Kaellorian: You win the comment thread, good sir.
Why are they complaining? Everyone wants something free these days, then when they get something that can be resold on the streets for a ton more than they paid for the pepper, they complain! *SIGH* I give up!
She’s alright,
She’s alright,
She’s alright…
@karmaghost: ah shit, can’t believe I did that… +1 internets to whoever catches my goof… *sigh*
@karmaghost: I believe the lyrics are “She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie…”
Do I win?
@batsy: Yes. Old childhood habits die hard.
That explains why, while making stir-fry the other night, I felt invincible, grabbed my painball gun, and screamed, “SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!!”. On the plus side, I had a lot of energy for clean up!
@PirateCaptain_GitEmSteveDave:
Painball sounds far more harsh than paintball, like dodgeball with a mace.
@IT-Chick: If you can dodge a mace, you can dodge a ball!
@PirateCaptain_GitEmSteveDave: I think I’ll have stir fry for dinner tonight! Thanks for the idea.
Now we know how The City That Never Sleeps earns its reputation.
Although, I suppose an eight-ball of coca does sooth chili burn better than a cold glass of milk. Curse Mom for not letting me in on this household tip!
Man, put these together with some Tomacco, and you could make the most bitchin’ salsa ever.
@Ubik2501: LMAO
some people have all the luck…. o_O
I doubt they’ll be charged with anything. No one would sell so much cocaine for the price of a pepper. That either completely absolves the vendor, or puts them on a very short list of stupidest criminals. =/
I wonder whether the store repackaged the peppers in new shrink wrap to sell them as new.
@me: kidding, obviously.
A year or two ago (maybe) there was a major drug ring that was offering up drugs in bodegas when people ordered cold cuts.
Nobody happened to catch the address?
1.) Sell $2 peppers stuffed with hundreds of dollars of blow
2.) ???
3.) PROFIT!
This is clearly the customer’s fault. Who doesn’t split open each and every bell pepper in the store before they buy it? I always do, he says with more than a hint of smugness.
j/k
@runswithscissors: Dude, it’s cheaper to grow your own peppers at home. You just need some really strong grow lights, maybe a hydroponic set up of some sort, and lots of privacy. Yeah, your peppers will be far less hardcore than these South American peppers, but you never hear about a dude or chick turning tricks for home grown peppers.
Something tells me a store employee or owner was dealing. Nice defense — those peppers came from south america, we know nothing about em. right
I’ll bet they sold more than three.
sucks. what if you are a recovering addict? it would be the worst thing to find inside of an ‘innocent’ pepper.
maybe i’ve been watching too much sober house?
@damitaimee: No, that’s a good point.
It’s nice to know how well our food supply is inspected.
Next time someone offers you “Cracked-Pepper”, give it a little more thought.
Damn haha.
I feel bad for the guy who will be showing up at some dealer’s house (or underground lair) with a delivery of regular old peppers.
I don’t use cocaine…I just like the way it smells.
Where can I find this market?
That’s a one-a spicy pepper!
Rats, my “cleverness” is clearly unoriginal:
[www.theglobeandmail.com]