Nearly three years after a small bag of cocaine was discovered inside the White House complex, photos of the evidence have now been released to the public.
The photos show a small plastic bag containing a white powdery substance inside cubby #50 near an entrance to the West Wing. According to ABC News, the cubby area is commonly used during guided tours, where visitors are instructed to leave their phones and personal belongings before entering more secure areas.
The cocaine was discovered on July 2, 2023. At the time, then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris were away from Washington. The White House was briefly shut down as a precaution while authorities investigated the substance.
The U.S. Secret Service launched an investigation and later said the bag was found in a heavily trafficked area of the complex. Tours of that section are by invitation only and are typically led by White House staff. The Secret Service stated that hundreds of individuals could have had access to the cubby area and that available security camera footage did not identify a suspect.
Internal Secret Service emails later obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request showed that the FBI quickly took custody of what was initially described as “white powder” and transported it to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for testing.
The Secret Service announced on July 12, 2023, that it was closing the investigation, saying it could not identify a suspect. The bag was reportedly tested for DNA and fingerprints, but investigators said the evidence did not yield usable leads.
The explanation drew criticism from some congressional Republicans at the time, who raised concerns about security protocols and surveillance coverage inside the White House complex. Questions lingered about how a controlled substance could be brought into a highly secured area without any accountability.
Advertisement
Fox News host Jesse Watters posted the images on X.
The D.C. Fire Department conducted an on-site test, which ruled out a biological hazard but confirmed the substance was cocaine. The Secret Service, responsible for White House security, led the investigation, and the FBI quickly took custody of the evidence for further analysis at its crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
According to a summary of the probe obtained by The Associated Press, the baggie and its packaging underwent advanced forensic testing, including DNA analysis, fingerprint examination, and chemical testing. Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center also tested the substance to rule out any biothreat.
Despite the “sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis,” investigators recovered no usable fingerprints or DNA from the bag. Surveillance footage from the West Executive Avenue lobby did not identify a suspect or provide actionable leads.
As speculation spread over who left the cocaine inside the White House, several online sportsbooks began taking novelty bets on the potential culprit — with Hunter Biden emerging as the betting favorite on multiple platforms.
Despite the betting activity, officials have repeatedly said it is unlikely the person responsible will ever be identified. The Secret Service closed its investigation after 11 days without naming a suspect, citing the lack of usable forensic evidence and inconclusive surveillance footage. Investigators also said they could not determine precisely when the cocaine was left in the cubby.
The cocaine was found in a West Wing holding area used during staff-led tours, not in the White House library as initially reported. President Biden was at Camp David at the time. While White House staff undergo routine drug testing, visitors on tours do not.
The newly released photos provide a clearer look at where the bag was found and how it was stored, but they do not resolve the unanswered question that has persisted since the incident first made headlines: who left the cocaine inside the White House.
