A priest in Lower Austria is under investigation on suspicion of producing crystal meth at his residence, police officials have disclosed.

The 38-year-old clergyman, along with another individual, was arrested last week for alleged offenses against the Narcotics Act and is currently in custody.

The incident occurred in a vicarage located in the Waldviertel region. According to police spokesman Stefan Loidl, a search of the house uncovered drugs and laboratory equipment.

“The accused may have been producing methamphetamine with the intention of selling it,” said Loidl, indicating that the police do not believe the production was solely for personal use.

Following the emergence of the allegations, the priest was “immediately relieved of his duties in the Diocese of St. Pölten” and “prohibited from any pastoral activity in the diocese,” according to a statement from the Diocese of St. Pölten.

The accused, a priest of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, had been serving in the Diocese of St. Pölten since 2021. The Archdiocese of Warsaw confirmed that it was in contact with Austrian authorities. “The diocesan authorities will soon take the necessary legal and canonical measures in coordination with the diocese in Austria,” said Przemyslaw Sliwinski, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Warsaw, in a statement to ORF. The specific nature of the measures was not disclosed.