Should politicians be role models?
If we were to give politics a definition, we could probably say that its main goal is to serve people and to make the world a better place in which everyone is happy and content. But that’s simply not reality, and politicians are no saints.
They’re considered some of the most important people in the country, and people put their faith in them, hoping that they’ll do their best to solve all the existing issues within the nation. They’re always in the media’s eye, and each time one of them makes a mistake, their wrongs are the main subjects of the news.
Speaking of mistakes and role models, a lot of politicians were caught using drugs, and that’s no example for people within the country. Even though we’re somehow used to seeing and hearing about political drug scandals, not a lot of these public figures have actually been arrested or at least punished for their crimes.
Given the fact that they’re popular people and have a lot of connections with other powerful individuals, it’s not uncommon to see that the investigation was dropped or that the police didn’t find anything wrong with them.
So, are there any politicians who have been punished for drug abuse? Yes, there are, and in today’s article, we’ll discover more about their story! Let’s begin!
1. Trey Radel
Henry Jude Radel III, also known as Trey Radel, is an author, radio personality, and former member of the US House of Representatives.
In the autumn of 2013, politician Trey Radel, the man who used to serve as the Representative of Florida, was caught by the FBI with cocaine in his possession, and he was arrested for this.
He admitted that he wasn’t on his best behavior, and he pleaded guilty to drug possession, so he got 1 year of supervised probation. But that was not all, because he also put his political career on pause when he took a break from his congressional position and went into rehab to solve his unhealthy problem with substances.
The former politician said that he had to let his important position and dream go due to the fact that he’d made a mistake using drugs, but he managed to succeed and overcome all of his issues, and that’s why he encouraged other people, as well as the nation as a whole, to fight for their problems and overcome them.
If you want to know more about Trey Radel, discover his political vision, and maybe find out what actually made him use cocaine, he wrote a book, so check it out here!
2. Takuma Sakuragi
Are senior politicians more likely to use drugs than younger ones? I don’t think so, and here’s proof that senior politicians feel overwhelmed by the complications that their careers bring them, and they find an escape in using drugs.
That was the case of Takuma Sakuragi, a Japanese politician who was arrested in the month of October 2013, when he was caught in China, at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport by the officials while he had no less than 7.3 lbs of methamphetamine in his luggage.
Of course, his people tried to save him from the problems, and they claimed that the politician didn’t use any drugs, but he was actually framed by his opponents.
They said that Sakuragi was actually framed for his severe diplomatic stance with South Korea and China. Could that be a coincidence? I guess not, because in 2019, after many trial postponements, he was actually sentenced to life for his drug crime.
3. Danny Sparks
When a politician sells drugs and is not at work, trying to make the country a better place, people are going to talk about it, especially if this event appears in the media.
Danny Sparks, the man who used to be the mayor of Kentucky, was arrested when officials found him selling marijuana nearby an elementary school. Ok, marijuana is legal in some states, but still, nobody should do something like this next to a school.
The politician had been under investigation for a couple of weeks before an undercover informant could find him and tell the police about the place he was at.
When he was caught, he quickly left his political career behind and was punished for drug trafficking within 1,000 feet of a school. What do you think? Did he deserve to be punished? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!
4. Fred Richmond
Do you want to know who was the last man to be arrested by the police for drugs, long before Trey Radel? Well, according to sources, Fred William Richmond, who’s no longer with us, was the last member of Congress to be arrested during a drug bust until Trey Radel was caught in 2013.
He was caught by the police in 1982 and convicted of marijuana possession, but that wasn’t all. He was actually a troubled politician, and he was also guilty of tax evasion too. The man was offered a plea bargain, and one of the conditions he had to agree to was stepping down from office, which he did.
He left this world behind on December 28th, 2019, when he was 96 years old. Did you know about his political career?
5. Mel LeBlanc
Our story takes us to Texas, in the city of Arlington, where another well-known politician was arrested for drugs! In the month of February 2012, Mel LeBlanc, the politician who used to serve as a councilman from Arlington, wasn’t exactly on his best behavior.
The officials discovered that he was actually getting the drugs that he needed, which are marijuana and meth, from different call girls he was in contact with. It seems that the entire arrangement went on for a couple of years, and his wife wasn’t happy about her husband’s behavior.
Sources say that she wanted her partner to end this vicious cycle of taking drugs and then getting into many troubles, so she helped the police during the investigation. She found 2 bags of meth in their home, and she didn’t talk to her husband first; she just went to the police and told them everything they needed to know.
6. Rob Ford
Rob Ford was a Canadian politician who served as the mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014, and he was the 64th individual in this function. The politician stated that he was never a drug addict, but he tried a couple of substances here and there while he wasn’t exactly in a very good place.
When people found out that he used cocaine, some had a stunned reaction, others didn’t feel impressed, and a part of the citizens had a pretty good laugh. However, in 2014, approximately 6 months after he first confessed that he used substances, there was a video published on the internet in which he was seen smoking unhealthy substances.
When he saw that the video was getting more and more popular, he admitted that he needed help regarding substance abuse and that he was ready to take some time off from his reelection campaign as mayor. The politician didn’t have the chance to be the mayor of the city for another term, and in 2016, he lost his life and left this world behind.
7. Willie Gandara Jr.
Politics, money laundering, and drugs don’t go hand in hand! Willie Gandara Jr., the politician who was the Commissioner of El Paso County, was arrested for distributing marijuana.
The police put him in jail, but they had many reasons to do so, and substance abuse wasn’t the only one. He was actually guilty of money laundering and drug trafficking, and these gave him roughly 6 years and a half to spend in federal prison. He also had to pay a fine worth $300,000 for his actions. And that’s how you end your career as a politician! At least this is what Willie Gandara Jr. did.
If you’re scared that politicians will manipulate you in order to get your vote, then we have a great article for you, so check it out: Beware of These 8 Sneaky Political Manipulation Tactics!
