‘Equalizer 3’ Caterers Arrested By Italian Police, More Than 100 Grams of Cocaine Seized: Report

It looks like there’s some trouble brewing around The Equalizer 3 as the Italian paramilitary police have reportedly seized more than 100 grams of cocaine after raiding hotel rooms used by the production’s catering company.

According to the Italian newspaper II Giornale, the drug bust occurred a day after the head of the film’s catering service had unexpectedly died from a heart attack on Monday (Oct. 31) evening, which led to suspicions that there were drugs on the premises after packages of cocaine were supposedly found in the worker’s clothing.

When cops broke into hotel rooms of Maiori on the Amalfi coast, they confiscated 120 grams of cocaine as well as arrested two other catering employees, who were placed under house arrest in the hotel on “alleged drug dealing charges,” per Variety. A third employee, who was found with a small amount of cocaine in their possession, had their driver’s license revoked.

Sony Pictures, the film’s distribution company, had previously partnered with Italy’s Eagle Pictures, with Garbo Produzioni handling the production services. A representative for the company said they did not have a comment when Variety reached out to them.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Equalizer 3 is in its fourth week of shooting. The movie, which stars Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning, follows Robert McCall (Washington), a retired U.S. Marine and former DIA officer. While plot details have not yet been revealed for the upcoming movie, we last saw Washington’s character setting out to get revenge after his friend was murdered.

The third installment marks the fifth film Washington and Fuqua have collaborated on, including Training Day (2001), The Equalizer (2014), The Magnificent Seven (2016), and The Equalizer 2 (2018).

The Equalizer 3 is slated to hit theaters on Sept. 1, 2023.