Traces of Cocaine Found in Red Bull in Germany

German authorities have found a trace amount of cocaine in the Red Bull Cola energy drinks sold in the country. Retailers have stopped selling Red Bull Cola until further testing is done.

The authorities from the North Rhine Westphalia state in Germany found 0.4 micrograms per liter in the Red Bull Cola energy drink. Soon after, the authorities imposed a ban on Red Bull Cola on Friday. Five other German states joined them by imposing a similar ban on Red Bull Cola. They banned it from shops for fear of possible narcotics violation. Thomas Schulz, a spokesman for the Thuringian Ministry of Health, told Spiegel:

"The cola is not harmful, but it violates food law."

Red Bull responded to this ban and said its cola drinks are harmless. Red Bull use a coca leaf extract for flavoring purposes and say many other drink makers use the same extract. The amount of extract they use is harmless, according to Red Bull. The same ingredient, coca leaves, are used in the production of cocaine. Red Bull claims they did their own tests and found no traces of cocaine. Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment said the amount of cocaine present in the energy drinks is too low to pose a health risk. It will provide a detailed report on Wednesday to clarify this situation. Depending on that report, the Red Bull ban may or may not be lifted. Coca leaf extract can also be found in other foods such as beer, wine, baked goods, flours and other products. In South America, they either chew or consume it as tea drink.