A Texas county commissioner has been arrested on drug-trafficking charges, the El Paso Times reports.
El Paso County Commissioner Willie Gandara Jr. was arrested late Wednesday on federal drug-trafficking charges, officials said.
Gandara Jr., 37, who was elected to the Commissioners Court in 2008 and is a candidate for state representative, was arrested as part of a multi-agency investigation.
Though the Times neglected to mention it, Gandara is a Democrat. He is also an outspoken opponent of drug legalization.
In September, he said in a statement that drug legalization was a bad idea for the country in a story in the El Paso Times.
"Legalizing drugs is the coward practice of combating cartels, it is an insult to our men and women in law enforcement, and the laziest form of parenting our children and youth about the effects of drugs," Gandara said.