The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is launching an investigation after a small bag of cocaine was discovered inside a busy area within its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
According to USCP, a roughly one-inch-by-one-inch zip lock bag filled with a “small amount of white powdery substance” was found on the floor in the middle of a hallway inside USCP headquarters at around 1 p.m.
“The hallway is on the second floor in an area that has been a staging spot for furniture and supplies,” USCP said. “The area is heavily trafficked by various contractors and employees. It is also near offices such as Prisoner Processing, Crime Scene, Intel, and Reports Processing.”
An officer who found the bag immediately reported it to their supervisor and it was subsequently taken for testing where it yielded a positive result for cocaine.
The discovery is being probed by the USCP Investigations Division which will also conduct DNA testing of the bag, the agency said.
Cocaine Found at White House
The USCP’s investigation comes after the Secret Service confirmed it had found cocaine at the White House in July last year.The drug was found on the evening of July 3, agents with the federal law enforcement agency said at the time, adding that they believed the cocaine may have been brought into the White House by an individual who works there or had authorization to be there.
Despite the discovery prompting a brief evacuation along with the dispatch of a hazmat team and the D.C. Fire Department and EMS, the Secret Service said at the time that there did not appear to be any significant threat to the West Wing.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also noted the cocaine was found in a “heavily traveled” area of the White House and that tours of the West Wing had taken place in the days leading up to its discovery; specifically on June 30, July 1, and July 2.
Ms. Jean-Pierre also noted that President Joe Biden and his family were not at the White House at the time the drugs were found and were instead at Camp David.
“We will take any action that is appropriate and warranted pending the outcome of the Secret Service [investigation],” Ms. Jean-Pierre told reporters during a press briefing in July 2023 shortly after the discovery.
However, the Secret Service ultimately closed the investigation into the cocaine at the White House in mid-July.
Due to a lack of evidence, no suspect was identified.
Investigation Closed Amid Lack of Evidence
At the time, officials with the agency said an FBI analysis of the cocaine packaging “did not develop latent fingerprints” while DNA evidence was also “insufficient,” leaving them unable to compare evidence against the known pool of individuals.Meanwhile, no surveillance video footage was found that provided investigative leads or any other means for investigators to identify who may have been behind the abandoned cocaine, officials said.
“Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered,” Secret Service officials said at the time.
Still, that incident sparked a response from former President Donald Trump, who suggested President Biden’s son Hunter Biden may have been involved due to his past drug use.
Amid growing speculation, the Secret Service later reiterated that it had not identified the person who could have brought cocaine into the building.
