A Polish priest has been arrested for suspected drug distribution at social gatherings

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Prosecutors in central Poland said Tuesday that a priest has been arrested on suspicion of distributing drugs at social gatherings from 2020-23.

The spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office in Plock, Iwona Smigielska-Kowalska, identified the priest as Piotr S., a vicar at a parish in Zyrardow, near Warsaw. She didn’t say whether the suspect had admitted guilt or proclaimed innocence.

The local diocese in Lowicz confirmed the arrest of the vicar and said it was dismissing him and opening its own preliminary investigation into the allegations. The diocese declared full cooperation with the state investigators in this “very sad situation.”

If convicted of drug-dealing, the priest could face up to three years in prison. The possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use isn’t punished in Poland.