Texas Democratic state representative Alfonso "Poncho" Nevárez turned himself in Thursday after a video surveillance camera captured him dropping a cocaine-filled bag at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
"I do not have anyone to blame but myself," he said in a statement. "I accept this because it is true, and it will help me get better."
Nevárez was arrested and released with bond set at $10,000, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Surveillance footage from Sept. 6 revealed that he had dropped "a white paper object" as he walked out of the airport. Two Texas Department of Transportation employees found the envelope, and a later investigation determined that it contained cocaine.
Nevárez, who announced earlier this month that he would not seek reelection, confirmed the news on Thursday.
"In a weird way I am grateful. Grief and addiction were consuming me, but oddly enough, I feel better now than I have in a long time, and I mean that," Nevárez said, adding he would seek treatment for his addiction.
Nevárez could face up to 10 years in prison, Fox 7 Austin reports.