Secret Service investigation into cocaine found at White House expected to conclude next week

By Jeremy Diamond, CNN

(CNN) — The Secret Service is expected to conclude its investigation into a bag of cocaine found in the West Wing early next week, a federal law enforcement official told CNN – regardless of whether a suspect is identified.

As of Thursday afternoon, investigators had yet to receive results of the DNA or fingerprint analysis, but had already begun reviewing visitor logs and security camera footage.

This timeline reflects the current progress of the investigation, but law enforcement investigations are fluid and that timeline could shift.

The official reiterated that it may be difficult to identify a culprit given how many people walk through the entrance near where the bag of cocaine was found.

CNN previously reported that cocaine was found in a cubby near the ground floor entrance to the West Wing where staff-led tours of the White House pass through on their way into the building. Those tours typically only occur on weekends.

Visitors entering the West Wing for tours are asked to leave their phones in those cubbies, which can also be used by staff who cannot bring their phones into a SCIF, or sensitive compartmented information facility, where classified materials are handled.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday the White House is confident the Secret Service will “get to the bottom” of the incident.

The discovery of a powdery substance by Secret Service personnel conducting routine rounds of the building had prompted a brief evacuation as part of what the Secret Service described as “precautionary closures.”

President Joe Biden, who was at Camp David over the weekend and returned to the White House Tuesday morning, was briefed on the situation.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.