MIAMI, FL – According to reports, Andrew Gillum, Democrat and former Florida gubernatorial candidate, was allegedly involved in a crystal meth incident in a Miami hotel early Friday morning in which a man suffered from a suspected overdose.
In a released police report, fire rescue crews and police responded to an emergency call at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel, located at 1100 West Avenue in Miami Beach. Once on the scene, rescue crews noted that Gillum, 40, and two other males were in the hotel room the emergency call originated from.
Authorities stated that rescue crews had been informed that one of the men, Travis Dyson, 30, had collapsed, had difficulty breathing, and had vomited repeatedly before collapsing a second time. Paramedics took Dyson to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he is currently listed as being in stable condition.
Aldo Mejias, 56, the third man in the room, told police that he had given Dyson his credit card information so that he could rent a hotel room for the evening, which Dyson did around 4 p.m. Thursday, reports say. Mejias then said that he arrived at the room later that day and discovered both Dyson and Gillum inside; both men appeared to be highly inebriated due to the effects of an unknown substance.
Shortly afterwards, Dyson began showing signs of distress and collapsed on the bed, at which time Mejias attempted to perform CPR and called 911.
Arriving officers attempted to question Gillum, but reports indicate that he was too under the influence to respond. Three small plastic bags containing an unknown substance – suspected to methamphetamine – was discovered in the room, reports say, and was taken by police as evidence.
After transporting Dyson to the hospital, police returned to the room to check on Gillum, who was by that point behaving normally. He left the hotel to return to his residence, officials say.
Gillum released the following statement regarding the incident, denying that he had been using crystal meth.
“I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends,” he said. “While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines. I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement. I’m thankful to the incredible Miami Beach EMS team for their efforts. I will spend the next few weeks with my family and appreciate privacy during this time.”
It is currently unknown if Gillum or any of the other men in the hotel room will be facing any charges related to the incident.
Gillum, who is married with three children, served as the 126th Mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election, losing to Republican candidate Ron DeSantis. He previously was a Tallahassee City Commissioner from 2003 until 2014, first elected at the age of 23.
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