White House evacuation triggered by discovery of cocaine-like powder

A preliminary test indicated that the white powder found inside the White House Sunday evening, prompting a brief evacuation, was cocaine, according to two officials familiar with the matter and the recording of a dispatch from a D.C. fire crew that responded to the incident.

Anthony Guglielmi, spokesman for the Secret Service, stated that further testing is being conducted to determine the exact nature of the substance and authorities are actively investigating how it entered the White House. Guglielmi added that the D.C. fire department determined that the substance did not present an immediate threat.

The discovery of the white powder triggered an elevated security alert, resulting in a temporary evacuation of the executive mansion, as confirmed by Guglielmi. Notably, President Biden was not present in the White House during the incident. Guglielmi stated that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the cause and manner in which the substance entered the premises.

While Guglielmi declined to disclose the specific location within the White House where the substance was found or its packaging, he mentioned that it was discovered by members of the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service during routine rounds throughout the building.

In a dispatch with a timestamp of 8:49 p.m., a firefighter from the D.C. department’s hazardous materials team relayed the test results, confirming the presence of “cocaine hydrochloride.” The recorded transmission is accessible on the website openmhz.com, which provides live and archived radio transmissions from police and fire departments. An anonymous official involved in the investigation described the amount of the substance as small.

Vito Maggiolo, spokesman for the D.C. fire department, stated that the agency provided support to the U.S. Secret Service during the ongoing investigation.

Authorities are diligently working to uncover the source and circumstances surrounding the incident, as concerns regarding security breaches persist. Updates on the investigation will be provided as new information becomes available.

Source: Washington Post