Andrew Demetric Gillum, a former mayor of Tallahassee and the 2018 Democratic candidate for governor of Florida, was arrested last week in Daphne, Alabama.
The 46-year-old, who lost to Republican Ron DeSantis by less than 1 percentage point in 2018, was charged with possession of dangerous drugs, drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana and has since been released from jail.
About Andrew Gillum's arrest
As per the Daphne Police Department, the arrest took place at around 10:45 p.m. on Thursday, when officers conducted a traffic stop on US 98 near N. Main Street after observing erratic driving.
The driver was then identified as Andrew Gillum.
Police said one of the officers saw a glass pipe on the centre console of the vehicle, which led to a probable cause for the search of the vehicle.
Following the search, officials found several rolled marijuana cigarettes and three packages of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
Gillum was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance (a class D felony) and possession of marijuana in the second degree (a class A misdemeanour), police noted.
He was booked into the Daphne City Jail and later transported to the Baldwin County Correctional Facility. He was released on Friday.
Andrew Gillum's past scandals
This is not Andrew Gillum's first run-in with the law, as in March 2020, he made headlines after Miami Beach police found him at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel in an "inebriated" state with two other men.
According to a police report, officers found three small clear bags inside the hotel room containing suspected crystal meth, although the men were never charged with a crime.
Gillum released a statement after the 2020 incident, saying he was at a wedding the night before the incident and was drinking but denied taking any methamphetamines.
In 2022, Gillum was indicted on 21 federal charges, including conspiracy and wire fraud, after being accused of funneling donations through third parties and back to himself for personal use.
He was acquitted on multiple charges, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on whether he was funnelling donations. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the remaining charges.
Gillum also landed in trouble in 2023 when he was acquitted of lying to the FBI in a corruption case that also involved illegal use of campaign contributions.
