Politics

Longtime Aide To Sen. Thad Cochran Arrested In Chinese Sex-For-Drugs Scheme

Chuck Ross Investigative Reporter
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Mississippi U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran’s longtime office manager and personal assistant was arrested on federal drug possession charges Thursday after admitting to knowingly receiving illegal drugs from China that he planned to exchange for sex.

Fred Pagan, 49, was arraigned in federal court in Washington D.C. on Friday and released on his own recognizance, The Washington Post reports.

The Republican senator’s aide came on the radar of U.S. Customs and Border Protection when on April 9 the agency intercepted a package sent from China to Pagan’s home address in Washington D.C. The parcel contained gamma-butyrolactone, or GBL.

According to an affidavit signed by DHS special agent Mark Waugh, the package was addressed to “Longevity Concepts LNC, Fred Pagan” and weighed 1.1 kilograms.

According to the Washington City Paper, GBL breaks down into GHB, otherwise known as the “date rape” drug.

Based on that evidence, investigators obtained a search warrant for Pagan’s home. During the search, which occurred Thursday morning, investigators discovered plastic bags containing 181.5 grams of methamphetamine.

According to the affidavit, “Pagan stated that he intended to distribute both the GBL and methamphetamine in exchange for sexual favors.”

He also admitted that he had received three prior GBL shipments from China and knew that the substance is illegal in the U.S.

According to The Post, Pagan is a registered Democrat who began working for Cochran as a page when he was 16 years old.

Cochran, 77, was recently elected to his seventh term in the Senate following a bruising primary against conservative Republican challenger Chris McDaniel.

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