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After Cocaine Charge, Texas State Rep. Poncho Nevarez Is Sober

It was last year on Sept. 6 that DPS surveillance video captured State Representative Alfonzo "Poncho" Nevarez at the Austin Bergstrom Airport as he accidentally dropped  an envelope that contained cocaine.

The Eagle Pass Democrat faced a charge of possession of a controlled substance. Weeks later Nevarez turned himself into authorities, was booked and released on bond. Eventually the charge would be dropped.

Nevarez admitted that the cocaine was his. And he announced he would not seek re-election to represent his border district. But Nevarez has not resigned his seat nor has he stepped down as chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee which oversees the DPS.

Since that fateful day at the airport, Nevarez has been working to deal with his addictions and maintain his sobriety. He spoke to TPR’s David Martin Davies about his struggle.

Nevarez recently wrote an essay on his blog about his journey to sobriety – titled“How I’m Doing.”

David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi