Italian police arrest caterers for ‘Equalizer 3’ movie after cocaine bust

Two workers for a company providing catering services for Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer 3 movie were arrested by Italy’s paramilitary police after they raided their hotel rooms and found over 100 grams of cocaine, local media reported, per Variety.

The caterers were said to be lodging in a hotel at the Italian seaside resort of Maiori. And according to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, the Tuesday raid was executed after the individual overseeing the movie’s catering services suffered a heart attack and died the day prior. In the wake of his death, authorities found a lot of small cocaine packages in his possession, leading them to suspect there was a possibility of more drugs being kept at the production scene. 

Police ultimately found 120 grams of cocaine during the raid, and they subsequently placed two workers of the catering company under house arrest in the hotel. The suspects have been charged with drug dealing. Police also revoked another worker’s driver’s license after they found a small amount of cocaine on him. 

Besides raiding the hotel, police also conducted a search at a location where the film’s production was based, Il Giornale reported, per Variety. 

Denzel Washington returns to take up a lead role in The Equalizer 3. The upcoming movie, which also stars Dakota Fanning, is directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk. The movie will hit the theatres on September 1, 2023.