Readers may already know the California Highway Patrol has been drafted to wage war on the drug crisis plaguing San Francisco’s streets.
Usually, CHP conducts traffic stops to find highly addictive substances such as fentanyl. But on Wednesday, CHP officers found themselves unloading 40 to 50 boxes of Pocky—an addictive chocolate-covered biscuit stick created in Japan in 1966.
CHP patrol officers noticed a van with no license plate at around 3:52 p.m. near its San Francisco office on Eighth Street, Officer Mark Andrews told The Standard. Andrews confirmed the van was stolen.
A video posted to X/Twitter from the incident shows officers unloading the van on Harrison Street, with cookies-and-cream-flavored Pocky boxes stacked nearby.
The correct answer was Pocky.
— FriscoLive415 (@friscolive415) September 21, 2023
Boxes upon boxes of Pocky. CHP cut open a box to see what was inside. The CHP officer licked his chocolatey finger clean and gave a thumbs up signal to the rest of the crew. Who here loves @PockyUSA ?? https://t.co/vWAfnwf6Cv pic.twitter.com/nmEK0kU89x
When officers pulled the stolen van over, they spoke with a woman behind the wheel and a male passenger. Soon after, officers took the woman into custody on suspicion of possession of stolen property. The passenger was released after questioning and was not charged, Andrews said.
The incident is being investigated as retail theft, according to Andrews, who asked any establishments with missing shipments of Pocky to contact the CHP’s San Francisco office.