The former West Coast Eagles captain was taken into custody on Wednesday after allegedly being found with methamphetamine in the suburb of East Victoria Park.
Police had earlier been searching for a vehicle that was seen driving erratically in nearby inner-southern suburbs.
Cousins, 41, was allegedly found in possession of 2.5 grams of meth.
He has also been charged with aggravated stalking and 13 charges relating to the breaching of a restraining order between April 2 and April 15.
Those charges do not relate to yesterday’s incident and the victim is known to Cousins, police said.
He was refused bail and will face Armadale Magistrates Court today.
The former premiership player and Brownlow medallist has been in and out of prison in recent years as he struggled with his meth addiction, and served almost a year behind bars for stalking his ex-partner Maylea Tinecheff.
He had been scheduled to face a trial last September over more alleged family violence offences, but after charges of stalking and threatening to harm Ms Tinecheff were dropped, he pleaded guilty to 12 lesser offences.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison but it was backdated and with time already served, he was able to walk free in August.
His lawyer Michael Tudori said at the time his client was doing well and continuing to self-fund his rehabilitation with the Whitehaven Clinic, saying it was “a long road to recovery”.