Cocaine Sent to Vatican: Drug-Filled Condoms Worth $50,000 Used in Sting Operation
Cocaine going to the Vatican was stopped by officials in Germany, according to reports Sunday. The drugs, valued at over $50,000 were heading to the Vatican's post office in 14 condoms.
The cocaine-filled condoms were sent to the Vatican from an unnamed South American country in January but intercepted in at an international airport in Leipzig, Germany, the German finance ministry told Agence France-Presse. Inside the package was 12 ounces of liquid cocaine, which has a street value of about 40,000 euros or $55,200 USD.
"I can confirm the incident as reported," the ministry spokesman told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. "But we cannot say anything more about the case," he added, citing that it is now in the hands of local authorities.
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Instead of simply taking the package, German and Vatican officials attempted to use a sting operation to catch the culprit, which could have been any of Vatican City's 840 residents, according to Rev. Federico Lombardi. A police officer was given the cocaine-filled condoms to use as a trap, and the package was sent to its original destination at the Vatican's main post office with the expectation that the addressee would reveal their identity.
Unfortunately, it seems like whoever was supposed to pick up the drugs had been tipped off— the box sat there since January without a recipient.
Leipzig prosecutors are expected to release more details Monday, as the investigation remains open, the Associated Press reported. The Vatican office of Interpol is working on the case alongside German officials.
