The Sammamish Police Department and the King County Sheriff’s Office arrested five people this morning for selling and using cocaine at the Sammamish Papa John’s restaurant.

The undercover investigation had been ongoing ever since Sammamish police received a tip in December 2016 that Papa John’s employees were using and selling drugs on the premises.

At 6 a.m. this morning, detectives from the Sammamish Police Department, Bellevue Police Department and King County Sheriff’s Office conducted search and arrest warrants at different locations in Sammamish and Bellevue, including the Sammamish Papa John’s in the 700 block of 228th Ave. NE.

One 18-year-old man was arrested at a house in the 100 block of 242nd Way SE in Sammamish, while a 19-year-old man was arrested at a home in the 1500 block of 204th Ave. NE in Sammamish.

Additionally, two men, aged 21 and 26, were arrested at a Bellevue house in the 15100 block of SE Newport Way.

A fifth man, 18, turned himself in to Sammamish police later in the day.

Cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, Oxycodone, LSD and methamphetamine were all found in the search, as well as a vehicle and $28,000 in cash.

Officers had gone undercover at the Papa John’s, posing as people buying drugs in the parking lot. Detectives were able to buy drugs a total of four times from two different employees. The employees introduced the detectives to other drug dealers in Sammamish and Bellevue.

Sergeant Cindi West, media relations officer for the King County Sheriff’s Office, said that it is not unusual for King County Sheriff’s Office detectives to go undercover to catch suspects in the act.

“We certainly do go undercover sometimes,” she said, but added,“There are definite risks, such as the risk of being found out. Sometimes when dealing with a drug dealer, [the dealer] can be armed and dangerous.”

Using cocaine swabs, detectives found cocaine residue on different surfaces in Papa John’s, such as the cash register and the sanitary wash areas. However, this was the only drug-related material that was found.

“Other than residue, we didn’t find anything illegal at the business,” West said. “Papa John’s was very cooperative.”

Jason Wheeler, director of operations for Papa John’s in Seattle, said that the management “had no knowledge of illegal activity” taking place at the business.

He said that the business had filed numerous complaints with the Sammamish Police Department of people loitering in the restaurant’s parking lot after hours.

King County Public Health assisted Papa John’s with clean-up procedures. The business owners requested that Sammamish detectives re-swab the food prep areas after the cleaning, and no cocaine residue was found. Because the search and the cleaning were conducted early in the morning, Papa John’s was able to open for business as usual by 11 a.m. today.

West stated that she is not aware of drugs being a problem in Sammamish in particular.

“There are drugs everywhere,” she said.

The Reporter will update this story as more information becomes available.

Drugs were found at different houses in Sammamish and Bellevue. Photo courtesy of King County Sheriff’s Office

One of the drugs found was the prescription drug Oxycodone. Photo courtesy of King County Sheriff’s Office

In addition to the drugs, detectives also uncovered $28,000 in cash. Photo courtesy of King County Sheriff’s Office