Diocese: "Scandal"!

Priest eagerly traded in Viagra: arrest

Symbolic image(Bild: Tolo Balaguer stock.adobe)

A priest has been arrested in Spain for illegally dealing in the sexual enhancer Viagra. The clergyman is likely to have used this to boost his income - because according to initial findings, the man's customer base appears to have grown steadily.

Together with the cleric, another man was taken into police custody in Don Benito in the province of Badajoz in the west of the country, the authorities announced on Tuesday. The second man is the priest's suspected partner and "business partner". In Spain, as in Austria, Viagra requires a prescription and is only legally available with a prescription.

During searches of the parish and the home of the two men, large quantities of the prescription drug and other strong sexual enhancers were seized. During the police operation on Monday, other locations in Don Benito and in the immediate vicinity of the parish were also searched. Investigations were still ongoing on Tuesday and further arrests were not ruled out, it was reported.

Big stir in communities
The arrested priest, one of a total of six priests in Don Benito, was found to have a large and steadily growing customer base, reported the newspaper "El Mundo" and other Spanish media, citing investigative circles. There are customers who have already admitted to having bought Viagra and other sexual enhancers from the two men.

The arrest of the Catholic priest caused a stir in the community of just under 38,000 inhabitants, as Priest Alfonso was very popular and respected among the parishioners. The diocese of Plasencia, to which Don Benito belongs, regretted the "scandal" in a statement, which caused "pain and suffering". It said it wanted to work with the authorities to clarify the case.