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Suspected cocaine found at White House sparking evacuation Cocaine found in White House sparks brief evacuation
(about 8 hours later)
The Secret Service said the white powder - thought to be cocaine - was found in a work area of the White House's West Wing The Secret Service said the substance was found in a work area of the White House's West Wing
A white substance that sparked an emergency evacuation at the White House on Sunday night tested positive for cocaine. The US Secret Service is investigating after cocaine was found at the White House on Sunday night.
The substance was found in a work area at the secure building during a routine inspection, the US Secret Service said. The discovery in the West Wing, which contains the Oval Office and other working areas for presidential aides and staff, led to a brief evacuation.
The preliminary positive test was first reported by the Washington Post, citing fire and law enforcement sources. Secret Service agents found the suspicious powder in an area that is accessible to tour groups while doing a routine inspection.
President Joe Biden and his family were away at the Camp David residence when the substance was found. President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland at the time.
The White House complex was closed as a precaution around 20:45 local time (01:45 BST) on Sunday after Secret Service officers found the white powder "inside a work area" of the West Wing, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told the BBC in a statement. A senior law enforcement official told the BBC's US partner CBS News the substance was found in a storage facility routinely used by White House staff and guests to store mobile phones.
Mr Guglielmi said the fire department was quickly called and found the substance to be "non-hazardous". The White House complex was closed as a precaution around 20:45 local time (00:45 GMT) on Sunday after it was discovered.
He did not confirm the preliminary test results, saying the item has been sent for additional testing and that an investigation is ongoing, including on how the substance entered the White House. A preliminary test, which was first reported by the Washington Post, later confirmed it was cocaine.
The BBC's US partner, CBS News, reported a senior law enforcement source as saying the substance was found in a storage facility in a cupboard routinely used by White House staff and guests to store mobile phones. The Secret Service will lead a full review of how the substance got into the White House, officials told CBS. They said cameras and entrance logs would be examined to determine who had access to the area where it was found.
CBS reported that two law enforcement officials and a recording of a radio dispatch from Sunday confirmed the substance tested positive for cocaine soon after it was found.
Cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has a high potential for abuse, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration.Cocaine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has a high potential for abuse, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
The West Wing is a large, multi-level part of the White House that contains the offices of the president of the United States, including the Oval Office and the Situation Room.The West Wing is a large, multi-level part of the White House that contains the offices of the president of the United States, including the Oval Office and the Situation Room.
It also houses the offices of the vice-president, the White House chief of staff, the press secretary, and hundreds of other staff who have access.It also houses the offices of the vice-president, the White House chief of staff, the press secretary, and hundreds of other staff who have access.
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