Overview

• Police say Loriente, 45, was stopped in the early hours of September 22 with about ten paper packets of synthetic drugs, including reported tusi.
• A subsequent search of his holiday apartment uncovered a precision scale and another single‑dose bag, according to the National Police.
• He has been presented to Torremolinos Investigative Court No. 5 as the presumed author of a public‑health offense and remains in custody pending proceedings.
• The archdiocese confirmed the detention, issued a public apology, provisionally suspended him from ministry and academic duties, and opened an internal inquiry; he had been replaced as vicar for clergy on September 15.
• Forensic identification of the seized substances is pending, with reports citing possible MDMA or mephedrone, and his 2023 defense of an accused priest prompted a Vatican complaint that now intensifies scrutiny.