Three priests suspected of storing drugs in a church are among eight suspects arrested in early November during a major operation against a drug trafficking network in Greece, the online edition of the Kathimerini newspaper reported, cited by BTA.
Authorities believe the group was involved in the distribution of cocaine and raw cannabis in Greece, as well as the illegal transport of migrants.
During the operation, police seized 2,238 kilograms of cocaine and 9,092 kilograms of raw cannabis.
The organization’s illegal profits are estimated at more than 105,000 euros, according to investigators.
The main defendant, a 46-year-old cleric and influencer, used a temple of an ancient calendar community in an Athenian neighborhood as a cover to store drugs. Terracotta pots and secret locations were discovered in the cemetery, in which members of the group hid cocaine and cannabis. According to the police, the clerics were not only involved in the distribution, but were also drug users themselves. They built a network of clients that also included people from artistic backgrounds. In conversations overheard by police, members of the group used code names such as “phanuropita” for cocaine and “macaroni” for cannabis. In one of the recorded conversations, the accused “Father Parthenios” discussed financial problems and hiding substances in jars with the alleged ring leader.
The drug unit arrested eight people in total and seized more than 2.2 kilograms of cocaine and more than 9 kilograms of cannabis. Among those arrested is a woman caught smuggling drugs in a suitcase to the island of Rhodes.
The investigation is ongoing and, according to Greek media reports, other priests belonging to Old Calendar groups operating outside the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church may also be involved in the matter.
The accused priest graduated from the Risario Theological Seminary and briefly served as a clergyman in the Greek Church, from which he was later expelled. He later declared himself archbishop of an Old Calendar movement and is the author of a culinary channel on YouTube with more than 100,000 subscribers.
There are no official statistics on the number of ancient calendarists in Greece – the data varies from several tens of thousands to almost half a million, divided into various branches and groups, the most famous being the so-called “true Orthodox Christians”, subsequently divided into several synods. In addition to the officially registered groups, other old-style groups, in unknown numbers, operate in Greece.
Originally published in The European Times.
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