A well-respected priest suspected of stealing from church collection plates to bankroll drug-fueled orgies has been arrested, report says

• A Roman Catholic priest is accused of stealing $117,000 from his Tuscan parish, according to The Times.
• Father Spagnesi, under house arrest, stole money from his parish's bank account and church collection plates, say police.
• Detectives believe that the money was used to buy drugs for sex parties, per The Times.

A well-respected Italian priest has been arrested on suspicion of stealing money from his Tuscan parish to buy drugs for sex parties that he hosted, according to The Times.

Father Francesco Spagnesi, 40, is under house arrest in Prato, about 15 miles from Florence. Italian police are questioning around 200 people who are said to have attended the orgies over the last couple of years, The Times reported.

The media outlet said that police began investigating the Roman Catholic priest, who is from the Italian Catholic Diocese of Prato, in Tuscany, after receiving a tip-off that his roommate had imported a liter of the "date rape" drug GHB from the Netherlands.

GHB, sometimes referred to as "G," is a staple of gay chemsex parties; the drug, which has the potential to be fatal when mixed with alcohol, can make users feel relaxed or euphoric and can make sex less painful.

Officers also found what appeared to be homemade crackpipes, made from bottles, during a raid of their apartment, The Times reported.

Spagnesi and his roommate used online dating sites to invite guests to their drug-fueled raves, according to detectives, per The Times.

The priest, reported to have dropped out of medical school to dedicate his life to religion, is accused of withdrawing more than $117,000 from his parish's bank account. The Times said that police suspect this money was used to buy drugs.

Spagnesi also allegedly stole money from church collection plates and asked parishioners for money, convincing them that they were raising funds for underprivileged families, the media outlet reported.

He was described as "brilliant" and "refined" by his parishioners, the Italian newspaper La Nazione reported.

Insider reached out to the Italian Catholic Diocese of Prato but did not receive a response.

The attorney representing the priest told The Times that Spagnesi has confessed to supplying drugs at parties and is due to admit to taking funds from his parish.