Priest in Austria arrested for producing crystal meth in church rectory

CNA Newsroom, Jul 30, 2024 / 13:00 pm

A Catholic priest in Austria has confessed to producing crystal meth in his parish rectory. The case came to light after authorities arrested the 38-year-old cleric along with a 30-year-old Iraqi citizen from Vienna last week, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

Both suspects are currently in pretrial detention. The priest, originally from Poland, had been serving in the Austrian Diocese of St. Pölten since 2021.

A police spokesman told media that investigators from the State Criminal Police Office searched the rectory following an order by the public prosecutor’s office. During the raid, they seized chemicals for producing illegal drugs as well as laboratory equipment. Authorities say they suspect the drugs were intended for sale.

CNA Deutsch reported that the Diocese of St. Pölten responded to the allegations by suspending the priest and telling local media he was prohibited from carrying out any pastoral activities within the diocese.

As the accused is a priest of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, Church leadership in Poland has been informed of the incident. A spokesman for the Warsaw Archdiocese told Austrian broadcaster ORF: “The diocesan authorities will soon take the necessary legal and canonical measures, in coordination with the diocese in Austria.”

Initial findings suggest that drug production was in its early stages when authorities intervened, authorities said. Police investigations are ongoing.

The case has drawn significant attention in Austria, with some media outlets comparing it to the fictional plot of the U.S. TV series “Breaking Bad.”