Former Florida Governor Candidate Andrew Gillum Arrested in Alabama on Drug Charges
Andrew Gillum, who narrowly lost the 2018 Florida governor's race to Ron DeSantis, was arrested in Daphne, Alabama on drug possession charges. Police found marijuana and methamphetamine in his vehicle after a traffic stop.
Gillum pulled over for erratic driving, drugs found in vehicle
Andrew Gillum, the Democrat who came within a razor-thin margin of defeating Ron DeSantis in Florida's 2018 gubernatorial election, was arrested last Thursday night in Daphne, Alabama on multiple drug charges, local10.com reported Tuesday.
According to a press release from the Daphne Police Department, officers stopped Gillum's vehicle at approximately 10:45 p.m. after observing him driving erratically. One officer spotted a glass pipe on the centre console, prompting a search of the car.
Police recovered several rolled marijuana cigarettes and three packages of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. Gillum, 46, was subsequently charged with possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
He was booked into the Daphne City Jail before being transferred to the Baldwin County Correctional Facility, and has since been released. Further details surrounding the arrest were not immediately made available.
Gillum, who also served as mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 to 2018, has not issued a public statement regarding the incident as of Tuesday morning.
The arrest marks the latest in a series of legal difficulties for the former politician. In March 2020, Miami Beach police found Gillum in an "inebriated" state at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel alongside two other men. Officers at the time reported discovering three small clear bags containing suspected crystal meth inside the hotel room, though no charges were filed against any of those present. Gillum subsequently stated he had been drinking at a wedding the evening prior and denied using methamphetamine.
In 2023, Gillum was acquitted of lying to the FBI in a separate corruption case that also involved alleged illegal use of campaign contributions.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)