Former Florida Gov. Candidate Andrew Gillum Responds to Allegations of Meth-Related Incident

Over the past few years, democratic politician Andrew Gillum made a name for himself after he lost his bid to be Florida's governor in a close race.

March 13, 2020

Over the past few years, Democratic politician Andrew Gillum made a name for himself after he narrowly lost his bid to be Florida's governor. On Friday, Miami Herald reported that Gillum had been involved in an alleged meth-related incident in a Miami Beach hotel.

Police were called to the Mondrian South Beach Hotel in the early hours of the morning, where paramedics were treating 30-year-old Miami resident Travis Dyson for an alleged heart attack. Two other men, Gillum and the other Aldo Mejias, were also present in the room. Police said there were bags that possibly contained methamphetamine at the scene, and that Gillum was "too intoxicated" to answer any questions.

"I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends. While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines," Gillum said in a statement, according to the Miami Herald. "I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement." Additionally, he thanked the paramedics of Miami Beach and said he will "spend the next few weeks with my family and appreciate privacy during this time."

Talking with police, Mejias said that he joined Gillum and Dyson in the room late on Thursday and discovered them both "under the influence of an unknown substance." He added that Dyson, who paramedics treated at the scene, was having trouble breathing and later vomited before collapsing back on the bed. He has claimed that Gillum also went to the bathroom to vomit.