Priest Arrested For Drug Trafficking

The Orthodox Christian Church of Cyprus said Friday that it is "deeply distressed" over the arrest of a parish priest on suspicion of trafficking drugs to the island from abroad.

Police arrested 38-year-old Father Panayiotis Triantafyllou at Cyprus' main Larnaca airport late Wednesday after discovering three kilograms of marijuana in his luggage. Triantafyllou had arrived on a flight from Greece.

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Local media reports said the priest told the court he was only transporting the drugs for others and that he needed the money because of financial problems he was having. He also told the court that he was remorseful and offered to assist police in their investigation.