The U.S. Secret Service has launched an investigation after a small amount of cocaine was discovered inside the West Wing of the White House on Sunday night.
The suspicious powder, later identified by hazmat crews as cocaine, was found during a routine inspection of a “work area of the West Wing,” according to the New York Times. The West Wing is a large, multi-storey section of the White House that includes the president’s Oval Office, the Cabinet Room and other staff areas.
The White House was briefly evacuated at about 8:45 p.m. local time on Sunday while officials examined the illicit substance and determined it to be non-hazardous.
D.C. fire personnel identified the powder as “cocaine hydrochloride” in a radio message later posted to the website OpenMHz, which archives emergency radio dispatches.
It is not yet clear who brought cocaine into the building. The BBC reported the drugs were found in a cubby inside a storage facility where employees and guests often keep their cellphones. The outlet also said the area is accessible to White House tour groups.
The U.S. Secret Service said it will examine entrance logs and security camera footage to try to identify the owner of the illegal substance.
President Joe Biden was absent from the White House when the cocaine was found. He and his family were out of state visiting Camp David in Maryland.
Biden and his family returned to the White House on Tuesday morning to celebrate the Fourth of July.
The discovered cocaine has been sent to a lab for further evaluation.
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