A New Mexico Sonic employee was taken into custody after an alarming incident involving a bag of cocaine being discovered in a customer’s hot dog.

The accused, 54-year-old Jeffrey David Salazar, was arrested on June 6 in Española following a complaint from a woman who found the illicit substance in her order.

According to authorities, Celine Gonzales had an unexpected encounter with the white powder after taking a bite of her Coney hot dog.

Disturbed by her discovery, Gonzales promptly reported the incident to the Española police. Responding to the complaint, law enforcement officials conducted an investigation and confirmed the presence of cocaine, which weighed approximately one gram, through a field test.

Surveillance footage from the Sonic establishment played a vital role in piecing together the events. The video allegedly captured Salazar engaging in a suspicious transaction with another female employee in the kitchen area.

Upon reviewing the footage, officers observed Salazar appearing distraught and frantically searching for something he had seemingly lost.

Expressing her concern, one Sonic customer commented: “I think that’s pretty scary. We come here to get food for our families, and if a child found that, it could have been pretty bad or deadly.”

It’s not clear whether there was any trace of the illegal substance in Gonzales’ system.

The incident highlights the potential dangers of such a discovery and raises questions about the security measures in place at the fast food chain restaurant.

During questioning by investigators, Salazar admitted that the bag of cocaine belonged to him and revealed that he had purchased it from an individual in the Sonic parking lot. He now faces a felony charge for possession of a controlled substance, as announced by the Espanola Police Department.

The incident has sparked concerns about the safety of food establishments and the potential risks they pose to customers. The local community hopes that this incident will lead to improved security protocols and increased vigilance in preventing similar occurrences in the future.

Espanola is located around 90 miles north of Albuquerque.