Three priests suspected of storing drugs in a church are among eight suspects arrested in a major operation against a drug trafficking network in Greece at the beginning of November, the online edition of Kathimerini newspaper reported, quoted by BTA.
Authorities believe the group was involved in the distribution of cocaine and raw cannabis in Greece, as well as in the illegal transportation 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 over 105,000 euros, according to investigators.
The main accused, a 46-year-old cleric and influencer, used a temple of an old calendar community in an Athenian neighborhood as a cover for storing drugs. Clay pots and secret places were found in the churchyard, in which the members of the group hid cocaine and cannabis. According to police, the clerics were not only involved in the distribution, but were also drug users themselves. They built a client network that also included people from artistic circles. In conversations overheard by the police, the 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 the hiding of the substances in pots with the alleged leader of the network.
The anti-narcotics unit detained a total of eight people and seized over 2.2 kilograms of cocaine and over 9 kilograms of cannabis. Among those arrested is a woman caught trying to smuggle drugs in a suitcase to the island of Rhodes.
The investigation is ongoing, and according to Greek media, other priests from Old Calendar groups operating outside the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church may also be involved in the scheme.
The accused priest graduated from the Risario Theological Seminary and was briefly part of the clergy of the Greek Church, from which he was subsequently expelled. He later declared himself the archbishop of an Old Calendar movement, and was the author of a culinary channel on YouTube with over 100,000 followers.
There are no official statistics on the number of Old Calendarists in Greece – the data range from several tens of thousands to nearly 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 ones, other old-style groups of unknown number operate in Greece.
