Czech police detain Russian priest over ‘white substance’ find
Czech police have detained Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion after discovering four containers of a suspicious white substance in his vehicle. The incident has drawn condemnation from Moscow, which labeled the arrest a 'provocation.' Hilarion, who denies any involvement in drug trafficking, is currently under investigation while his defense team seeks independent analysis of the substance.
- ▪Czech police detained Bishop Hilarion in Karlovy Vary after a tip-off about narcotic substances.
- ▪Moscow condemned the arrest, calling it an orchestrated provocation against the cleric.
- ▪Hilarion has denied any connection to drug possession and is demanding forensic analysis of the substance.
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News|CrimeCzech police detain Russian priest over ‘white substance’ findMoscow condemned the action of the Czech police, calling the detainment a ‘provocation’.ListenListen (3 mins)SaveClick here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoRussian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev in Budapest in Hungary, September 2021.[Noemi Bruzak/EPA]By Heba Habib and AFPPublished On 25 May 202625 May 2026Czech police have detained a Russian cleric after four containers of a suspicious white substance were discovered in his car.Orthodox Bishop Hilarion was detained in the town of Karlovy Vary, according to a statement released on his Telegram channel by his defence team on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Europol busts…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Al Jazeera English.