Aide to U.S. Senator Cochran charged with drug possession: Washington Post
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An aide to U.S. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi has been charged with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, the Washington Post reported on Friday. Fred Pagan, 49, personal assistant and office administrator to the Republican senator, was charged on Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Post said. U.S. Magistrate Deborah Robinson released Pagan on his own recognizance after an initial court appearance on Friday, the newspaper reported. Cochran's office said in a statement that Pagan had been suspended from his duties pending the outcome of the case. "Senator Cochran is disturbed and deeply saddened by the arrest," the statement said. Pagan could not be immediately reached for comment. U.S. customs officers intercepted a 1.1-kg package from China on April 9 containing the drug gammabutyrolactone, or GBL, addressed to Pagan's Washington home, the Post said, citing an affidavit filed with the court. GBL, said to build muscle, enhance lovemaking abilities and aid sleep, is a controlled substance. A search of Pagan's home found plastic bags with about 181.5 grams of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, according to Homeland Security Special Agent Mark Waugh, the Post said. "Pagan stated that he intended to distribute both the GBL and methamphetamine in exchange for sexual favors," the Post quoted Waugh as saying. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
