Cocaine found at the US White House; All you need to know
A cocaine-like substance was found inside the US Presidential complex on Sunday which led to the temporary closure of the White House on Sunday, The Washington Post reported. The white powder substance was discovered in the West Wing of the White House. The West Wing is an area attached to the executive mansion where the president lives and includes the Oval Office, cabinet room, and press area, along with offices and workspace for the president's advisers and staff.
President Joe Biden was not in the White House at the time. Biden and his family left for Camp David on Friday and returned to the White House on Tuesday, where the president was scheduled to address a national teachers' union and hold a BBQ to celebrate the US Independence Day. Hundreds of people work in or come through the West Wing of the White House regularly.
The DC Fire Department was called to evaluate and quickly determined the item to be non-hazardous. The entire complex was evacuated for the rapid test of the substance. It was found that the substance was cocaine hydrochloride.
The White House was soon reopened and the powder was sent for further testing. The Secret Service said in a statement the White House was closed as a precaution as emergency crews investigated, and that the District of Columbia fire department was called in to evaluate and determine that the substance was not hazardous. “The item was sent for further evaluation and an investigation into the cause and manner of how it entered the White House is pending," the Secret Service said.
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