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The Secret Service is leading a full review of how the substance got into the West Wing, law enforcement officials said, including examining cameras and entrance logs to determine who had access to the space. Officials caution this will be a challenging investigation, and while there are some cameras in the West Wing, it's unclear if anyone was captured on those cameras with the bag of cocaine. Because crack cocaine is an illegal drug, many crack houses have guards who use violence, including gun violence, to keep people out. The guards and other occupants may also use violence to resolve conflicts among buyers, sellers, and first time users.
Substance found in White House confirmed to be cocaine
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crack house.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. For readers who only know of Baltimore drug culture through HBO's The Wire--and we'd have to include ourselves in that category--these pictures might nevertheless seem hauntingly familiar. Except Bubbles and Johnny and Sherrod were just actors playing characters. It's almost unbearably sad to think of real people living in these conditions.
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The cocaine was found in an entrance area between the foyer and a lower-level lobby, the sources said. The entrance is near where some vehicles, like the vice president’s limo or SUV, park. It is one floor below the main West Wing offices and on the same floor as the Situation Room and a dining area. In updating where the cocaine was found, officials said that area was also heavily trafficked.
What Does Crack Cocaine Smell Like?
For example, when entering a crack house, you might see overflowing toilets, spoiled food, stained walls or peeling wallpaper, and dirty or damaged floors. Without that kind of physical evidence, the investigation has run out of road. NBC reported the "blurry timeline" could make it difficult for investigators to identify a source. Additionally, investigators were considering the high volume of people who walk through the area. Later, in an email to Snopes, he confirmed the cocaine wasn't found in a library and was instead found "in an area of the West Wing." The Washington Post reported that the area was near boxes where White House staff instruct visitors to leave their phones before entering the West Wing.
Substance found in White House West Wing tests positive for cocaine
The unusual breach of White House security was found July 2 when a uniformed Secret Service officer spotted a small plastic baggie in a storage cubby at the West Executive Avenue entrance on the ground level. Visitors, contractors, military personnel and staff members use the storage cubbies to drop off electronic devices and personal items not permitted in some areas of the West Wing. The vestibule is near the Situation Room, which is out of service for renovations; an alternative secure meeting room is being used for classified briefings during construction.
Typically, crack cocaine has a very “chemical” smell when it is burned or freebased. The process of turning cocaine into crack cocaine produces crystals, called “rocks.” These range in color from clear-white or opaque white to off-white or yellow. While most crack houses feature some or all of the above issues, others maintain a much milder, cleaner atmosphere.
On Tuesday morning, Mr. Biden returned to the White House with several of his family members. Julia Ainsley is homeland security correspondent for NBC News and covers the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney and acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration under then-President Barack Obama, said law enforcement agencies need to consider their resources when making decisions about who and what to investigate. “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. "They are currently investigating what happened over the weekend. So I would have to refer you to the Secret Service, the Secret Service, on all of this."
They’re characterized by uncleanliness, risky sexual behavior, and violence. In a review of recent years, the Secret Service found two incidents in which small amounts of marijuana were detected by Uniformed Division officers and reports were filed, Secret Service officials said. No charges were brought because the amounts were legal under Washington law at the time. The people were notified that they could not bring the marijuana to the White House campus, the officials said. Investigators also told lawmakers they were unable to determine exactly when the cocaine was left in the locker due to the lack of footage.
Cocaine at White House Sparks Confusion Over Who Had Access to Location - Newsweek
Cocaine at White House Sparks Confusion Over Who Had Access to Location.
Posted: Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Official Statement on the Investigation of a Substance Found in the White House
Cocaine found in the White House was in a different location than previously reported, sources say - NBC News
Cocaine found in the White House was in a different location than previously reported, sources say.
Posted: Thu, 06 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
However, officials familiar with the incident told The Post the purported cocaine was found in a holding area in the West Wing that is accessible to both White House staff and guests. DC Fire and EMS did not immediately respond to a request to clarify the discrepancy. The initial dispatch call stated that the white, powdery substance was found in the residence’s library on the ground floor of the building. An official familiar with the investigation told the newspaper that the amount of the substance was small. Guglielmi had told the Washington Post that there is “an investigation into the cause and manner” of how the substance entered the White House. The US president and first lady Jill Biden returned from the presidential retreat in Maryland to the White House on Tuesday morning.
After that news broke, social media posts about the discovery rapidly spread, with various degrees of legitimacy. We found posts on Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and Facebook making various claims about where the illicit substance was found and to whom it allegedly belonged. For instance, the below-displayed post claimed the cocaine was found in an area often occupied by U.S. President Joe Biden, while other posts asserted that the drug was left behind by his son, Hunter Biden. There was no surveillance video footage found that provided investigative leads or any other means for investigators to identify who may have deposited the found substance in this area. 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.
At this time, the Secret Service's investigation is closed due to a lack of physical evidence. The agency, along with the FBI, tested the packet to determine it was cocaine and looked for any fingerprints or DNA evidence. Video footage of the area where the baggie was found also provided no evidence to narrow the possible suspects beyond a list of roughly 500 staff members and visitors who passed through during a weekend earlier this month. When the unknown powdered substance was discovered, sections of the White House were evacuated as the Washington Fire Department was called to the scene and performed a field test that identified the substance as cocaine. The sample was sent to the Department of Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center at Fort Detrick, Maryland, the Secret Service statement said.
The Secret Service is not ruling out any White House personnel, guests or visitors. At this point, one leading theory is that the bag was brought in by an individual on a White House tour of the West Wing, according to senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter. A small amount of a white powdery substance was found in the White House on Sunday evening, according to a person familiar with the episode, and an initial test by emergency response workers determined that it was cocaine. Although it is distinctive, people who are unfamiliar with most intoxicating drugs do not know the difference between the smell of crack cocaine and the smell of a meth lab. Either can be dangerous, so it is important to report suspected labs and chemical-like smells to 911 immediately.
The people who run and frequent these crack houses tend to have less severe addictions. The Secret Service received results Wednesday from tests conducted by the FBI, “which did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons,” the Secret Service said in a statement Thursday. Security camera video was also reviewed, but "[t]here was no surveillance video footage that produced investigative leads," the agency said.
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