Russian Metropolitan Hilarion Found with Cocaine in Car on Prague Motorway
Czech police detained Hilarion on the basis of an anonymous tip. In his vehicle they found four packets of white powder, which laboratory testing confirmed to be cocaine.
Russian Metropolitan Hilarion Found with Cocaine in Car on Prague Motorway
Czech security forces confirmed that during a check on the motorway in the vicinity of the capital city at the end of May, they discovered a narcotic substance in the vehicle of a Russian Orthodox clergyman. Deník N reported this on the basis of police sources.
Hilarion, whose real name is Grigory Alfeyev, was stopped on 24 May following an anonymous tip-off. During an inspection of the vehicle, investigators found four small packets containing white crystalline powder. Subsequent laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of cocaine.
Police arrested the clergyman but released him after two days without laying charges. Hilarion immediately travelled to Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church and state authorities both characterised the entire matter as a staged provocation and rejected any connection to it.
Alfeyev previously held the position of foreign relations official for the Moscow Patriarchate. In 2022 the synod assigned him to Budapest, where he served as metropolitan for Hungary. In summer 2024 he was removed from this position. He subsequently moved to Karlovy Vary, where he was to serve in the local cathedral.
In connection with the drug scandal, the Russian Church has now decided to transfer him to South America. Patriarch Kirill appointed him to a new post in Brazil, specifically in the cities of Santa Rosa and Campina das Missões.
Source: 24.hu
Source: 24.hu