'John Wick' reference leads to arrest in bizarre drug smuggling case in Italy

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Drug smugglers in Italy were thwarted by police after thinking they could sneak a reference to the popular “John Wick” franchise past authorities.

According to TMZ, Italian police made an arrest after discovering a shipment of hundreds of coffee beans that were meticulously split open, filled with cocaine and then resealed with dark brown tape. The criminals may have gotten away with their risky gambit had it not been for a reference to the second film in the three-part franchise that got investigators’ attention.

Apparently the name on the shipment was Santino D’Antonio, which just so happens to be the name of the main villain in “John Wick: Chapter 2.”

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Riccardo Scamarcio played the Italian crime boss who compels Keanu Reeves’ title character to assassinate his sister against Wick’s better judgment. As IndieWire notes, the decision to plant a reference to the movie was particularly foolish as it was quite successful internationally, gaining roughly $2 million at the Italian box office.

A reference to the 'John Wick' film franchise helped Italian police catch some drug smugglers. (AP, File)

The cocaine-filled beans were shipped from Medellin, in Colombia, to Milan’s Malpensa airport. The package was addressed to a tobacco shop in Florence, where police busted a 50-year-old man who came to collect it. In total, TMZ reports that the 2 kg. package contained 150 grams of cocaine powder spread across roughly 500 beans.

Police reportedly called the operation “Caffe’ Scorretto,” which roughly translates to “Improper Coffee.” The term plays off the name of a popular Italian drink, Cafe’ Corretto.

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“John Wick: Chapter 2” hit theaters in 2017 following the surprising success of its predecessor. A third installment titled, “John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum” came out in 2019 and a fourth installment in the action franchise was announced for 2022.

However, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down most major film productions and Reeves already on board for a fourth “Matrix” film, there’s no telling when fans will see John Wick back in action.