A Republican candidate for the Missouri state House is facing federal drug charges after newly unsealed court documents revealed an alleged plot to frame his political opponent by planting cocaine and prescription pills in her purse.

Thomas Christopher Ross, 37, made his initial court appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Springfield, where he faced one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

According to the Justice Department (DOJ), Ross conspired with his former campaign manager to stash narcotics among the personal property of his Republican rival, Louise Secker, ahead of the state's August primary.