White House evacuated after cocaine found in routine sweep by Secret Service
The White House was evacuated after cocaine was found inside by the secret service.
A “suspicious substance” was discovered on Sunday evening by uniformed members of the security service during a routine sweep of the building.
The discovery of the substance triggered an evacuation of the executive mansion and the closure of nearby roads.
President Biden was not in the White House at the time of the discovery, having spent the weekend at Camp David.
The powder was found in a work area
The powder was found inside a work area of the West Wing and initially evaluated by the fire department.
After it was found to be non-hazardous the sample was sent to a laboratory for testing by the Secret Service.
Preliminary tests on the small quantity of white powder indicated it was cocaine. It has not been disclosed where exactly the drug was discovered within the building.
There were unconfirmed reports that it was discovered in the White House library, which is part of the official tour for visitors and three floors below the first family’s living quarters.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said further tests were being carried out.
He added that there was an investigation into the “cause and manner” of how the substance found its way into the White House.
Details of the discovery emerged on the openmhz.com website, which allows listeners to eavesdrop on the emergency services.
At 8.49 pm on Sunday, a firefighter said: “We have a yellow bar saying cocaine hydrochloride.”
Cocaine hydrochloride differs from ‘street cocaine’
Cocaine hydrochloride, which comes in the form of a white powder, is used as a local anaesthetic as well as being snorted by drug users. However, it differs from “street cocaine”.
Conservative websites were swift to point out that Hunter Biden, the president’s 53-year-old son who has admitted to battling addiction, was at the White House at the time.
But there was no evidence whatsoever to link him to the presence of the drug which was found at the mansion.
Others speculatively sought to link the discovery to White House staff or even members of the press corps.
The Telegraph has approached the White House for comment.
