GOP candidate for Missouri House charged with conspiring to plant cocaine on opponent

September 3, 2026 / 4:02 PM EDT / CBS News

Thomas Ross, a Republican candidate for state representative in Missouri, is facing a federal charge over allegations he instructed his former campaign manager to plant cocaine and amphetamines on a political opponent, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Ross, 37, is charged with one count of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance in the alleged scheme to plant drugs on Louise Secker, whom he defeated by just 33 votes in the Republican primary in Missouri's House District 161 last month.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri, the former campaign manager, who was not named, contacted the Joplin Police Department about a "public corruption" matter and gave them a black nylon glove that he said he was given by Ross. Inside the glove was a "small amount of white powder" that FBI testing confirmed to be cocaine and one capsule of the stimulant Adderall, the DOJ said.

The former campaign manager showed authorities text messages allegedly from Ross in which he told the campaign manager to plant the drugs in his opponent's purse or car while Ross was out of the state on vacation, prosecutors said.

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/