Republican Tea Party favorite and U.S. Representative from Florida, Trey Radel, pleaded guilty to one count of Cocaine possession in the District of Columbia Superior Court today after being caught in a 3.5 gram drug buy in the country's capitol in late October.

The Representative who opposes the legalization of marijuana and voted for drug testing on individuals who receive food stamps, himself ended up at the receiving end of an undercover drug sting in Washington D.C. on October 29th of this year.

In that operation, which was set up to net drug dealers and other high level individuals in drug organizations, DEA and FBI agents would find out from a drug dealer that one of his customers was a congressman. Unable to pass up the chance at a high-visibilty bust, a sting operation was set up to sell cocaine to the Congressman.

According to court documents, Radel gave the undercover officer $260 outside of a restaurant then entered the agent’s vehicle where he was given the drugs. Radel was approached by another agent as he exited the vehicle, at which time, he dropped the drugs in an effort to evade justice. Finally, realizing the gig was up, the Congressman agreed to speak with agents at his apartment that he keeps in the Capitol. It was there that he admitted to having additional drugs and gave the agents a vial of cocaine that he had there. He was not arrested during the investigation.

Congressman Radel’s arrest and conviction comes on the heels of the scandal that played out in the city of Toronto’s council chambers earlier this week. In that Canadian incident, the Mayor of that city, Rob Ford, was stripped of his mayorial powers after admitting to cocaine use. The mayor was never charged or prosecuted by authorities for his actions. Like the Canadian mayor, Radel blamed his drug use on alcohol.

As a result of Radel’s conviction after a guilty plea, Radel received a sentence of one year’s probation and a fine of $250.

Congress has been visibly more lenient in Radel’s case and the usually hard-line Republicans in the capitol have been uncharacteristically quiet about Radel’s bust. Spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, Michael Steele, said on Tuesday that the incident “is between Representative Radel, his family and his constituents.”

But, in the Congressman’s home state of Florida, where a cocaine possession conviction is a third degree felony and the sentence for possession is more severe, Radel could have been sentenced to up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. In that state, Radel may have also lost his voting rights and the right to own a firearm.

Saying that “Congressman Trey Radel’s conduct is an embarrassment to his district and to the state of Florida,” the head of the Florida Democratic Party called on Radel to resign from his seat in Congress.

In a statement on Tuesday, when news broke of his arrest, Radel said, “I know I have a problem and will do whatever is necessary to overcome it, hopefully setting an example for others struggling with this disease.” According to Radel’s attorney, Radel has already begun outpatient treatment. If he completes treatment, his conviction will be dismissed after one year.

Radel is the first sitting member of Congress to be charged with a drug offense since 1982 when Representative Frederick Richmond a Democrat from New York was charged with possession.