Spanish priest suspended from church amid accusations of sex drug trafficking
The priest has also been arrested by Don Benito police, according to CBS News, on suspicion “trafficking narcotic substances.”
A Spanish Priest has been suspended from the Roman Orthodox Church while the church investigates accusations that the priest sold erectile dysfunction medication and other sex-related drugs, according to multiple media reports from Sunday.
The priest has also been arrested by Don Benito police, according to CBS News, on suspicion “trafficking narcotic substances.” The priest has since been released from custody.
El poise reported that a second man, the priest’s alleged boyfriend, had also been arrested. Spanish media claimed that the pair had been selling drugs from a home rented under the priest’s name.
Response to the scandal
Despite the public nature of the scandal, the priest told the media that the church’s actions were"appropriate, at this time, to temporarily remove him from the public exercise of the ministry and from his office as parish priest."
The parish said in a statement that the priest was being offered "psychological and spiritual" guidance.
The priest's lawyer said "there is no evidence that incriminates" his client, and "he had no knowledge of anything," according to El Mundo.
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