Cocaine-filled condoms addressed to Vatican

German customs officials have intercepted a package addressed to the Vatican containing 14 condoms filled with cocaine, said the finance ministry.

A ministry spokesman told AFP that a box packed with 340 grammes of cocaine valued at €40,000 was seized at the international airport in the eastern city of Leipzig in January.

The narcotics, posted from an unnamed South American country, were in liquid form and had been poured into the condoms and placed in the package addressed to the Vatican’s main postal centre.

“I can confirm the incident as reported” in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, the spokesman said. “But we cannot say anything more about the case,” he added, saying it was now in the hands of local prosecutors.

Authorities handed the parcel to a police officer at the Vatican with the aim of laying a trap for a culprit who might try to claim it.

However, the box had remained there since January.

German investigators believe the intended recipient — who remains unknown — was likely tipped off that the package had been intercepted.

The Vatican office of Interpol is working on the investigation with the Leizpig prosecutor’s office, which could not immediately be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the Pope has warned mafia leaders that they must repent their ways or go to hell.

At a vigil in Rome for victims of organised crime, Francis said: “Blood-stained money, blood-stained power, you can’t bring it with you to your next life. Repent.”

The Friday event was organised by citizens’ group Libera and aimed at demonstrating the Church’s opposition to organised crime, rejecting historic ties with mafia bosses claiming to be good Catholics. It is the first time the annual event was attended by a pontiff.

During the prayer vigil, the names of 842 victims were read aloud. In his address, Francis made special reference to an attack last Monday in the southern Italian province around the city of Taranto, in which three people — two adults and a toddler — were shot dead in an apparent mafia hit.

“This life that you live now won’t give you pleasure. It won’t give you joy or happiness,” said Francis.

“There’s still time to not end up in hell, which is what awaits you if you continue on this path.”