Florida Rep. Trey Radel Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Possession - East Idaho News
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Florida Rep. Trey Radel Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Possession

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111913 TreyRadelOfficialPortrait?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1384948521814US Congress(WASHINGTON) — Florida Republican congressman Trey Radel appeared in a Washington, D.C., court Wednesday and pleaded guilty to one count of cocaine possession.

Radel, who admitted to being an addict, was placed on one year probation with “minimal supervision.” He promised to seek treatment.

“Your honor, I apologize for what I’ve done,” the congressman said to Judge Robert Tignor in a low voice. “I have hit the bottom…I realize I need help and have aggressively sought the help…I am so sorry to be here. I know that I’ve let my constituents down, my country down, and most importantly my family…including my 2-year-old who doesn’t know it yet.”

Radel said he is seeking treatment so he can “be a better man, a better husband, and continue serving this country.”

The freshman congressman was the target of an undercover sting operation, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Radel, according to sources, first came on the radar of federal authorities when a suspected cocaine dealer under investigation by a joint Drug Enforcement Administration/FBI task force told agents that one of his customers was the Florida congressman.

Radel, 37, allegedly purchased a small quantity of cocaine from an undercover federal agent in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29. but was not arrested, according to a law enforcement official. Agents maintained their cover and Radel went home. Later that evening, federal agents visited Radel at his home and advised him he had just purchased cocaine from a federal agent.

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