While the discovery of cocaine in the White House earlier this month came as a shock to many, it turns out it’s not the first time drugs have been found there.
In July and September 2022, Secret Service agents found marijuana in the White House, according to Fox News.
While marijuana is legal in Washington, D.C., it’s illegal at the federal level and not allowed on federal property like the White House.
“Small amounts” of the plant were found at the White House and destroyed, the Secret Service told Fox.
“No one was arrested in these incidents, because the weight of the marijuana confiscated did not meet the legal threshold for federal charges or D.C. misdemeanor criminal charges, as the District of Columbia had decriminalized possession,” a Secret Service spokesperson added.
Much like with the marijuana, no one has been arrested for the discovered cocaine, and it’s likely that no one will be, as the Secret Service ended its investigation this week.
The lack of surveillance video, DNA, fingerprints or other evidence means investigators will not be able to figure out who the drugs belonged to.
The most likely explanation is that the drugs were left by a visitor to the White House, not a staffer, according to the Associated Press.
Despite the outrage from conservatives over the end of the investigation, a former Secret Service agent named Evy Poumpouras told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that she’s not surprised drugs were found, as criminals would sometimes tour the White House.
“We would have people who would put in for tours, and what you do is you have to give your information because we do a criminal check on people. There were times, Kaitlan, that people would hit. There would be warrants out for their arrest … We would actually enact arrests,” Poumpouras said.