WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House was briefly evacuated Sunday evening while President Joe Biden was at Camp David after the Secret Service discovered suspicious powder in a common area of the West Wing, and a preliminary test showed the substance was cocaine, two law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Secret Service agents were doing routine rounds on Sunday when they found the white powder in an area accessible to tour groups, not in any particular West Wing office, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The complex was evacuated at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday as fire and emergency crews were brought in to do a rapid test, which preliminarily identified cocaine. The White House was soon reopened and the powder was sent for further testing.

Biden and his family left for Camp David on Friday and returned to the White House on Tuesday.

The Secret Service said in a statement the White House was closed as a precaution as emergency crews investigated, and that the District of Columbia fire department was called in to evaluate and determine that the substance was not hazardous.

“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.

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File # MV230960243

Details:

On Thursday, April 6, 2023, deputies assigned to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, Moreno Valley Station, Problem Oriented Policing (POP) team were working proactive patrol in the city. Deputies noticed a vehicle with equipment violations and made a moving violation, so they stopped the vehicle to enforce the violations.

When the deputies tried to stop the vehicle, the driver, Eduardo Loverabruno, a 34-year-old resident of Bakersfield, attempted to park his vehicle in a gas station parking lot and walk away from it. The deputies detained Loverabruno to investigate the violations and why he was trying to distance himself from the vehicle. During a legal search of Loverabruno’s vehicle, the deputies found their answer. Loverabruno was transporting approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine. Loverabruno was transported to the Robert Presley Detention Center for booking on charges of 11351 H&S (Possession of drugs with the intent to sell) and 11352 H&S (Transportation of drugs for sale).

Anyone with more information on this case is encouraged to call the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station at 951–486–6700 and ask for the POP team.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Customs officers at New York’s Kennedy International Airport seized $450,000 worth of cocaine from a traveler who was smuggling the drugs in the wheels of her wheelchair, federal authorities announced.

The bust happened Nov. 10 when Customs and Border Patrol officers stopped a woman traveling from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with a wheelchair whose wheels weren’t turning, agency officials said.

The officers X-rayed the wheelchair and noticed an “anomaly” in all four wheels, CPB officials said in a news release. Officers checked the tires and found a white powder that tested positive for cocaine, they said.

A total of 28 pounds (12.7 kilos) of cocaine with a street value of $450,000 was removed from the wheels, officials said.

The woman, a Dominican citizen named Emelinda Paulino De Rivas, was arrested on smuggling charges and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations. It wasn’t clear if she had an attorney who could comment.

“CBP stands steadfast and determined in working with our partners to identify the trans-national criminal networks responsible for importing these deadly drugs into our neighborhoods.” Francis J. Russo, Director of CBP’s New York field operations, said. “CBP’s mission is to guard the borders and ports of entry 24/7, 365 days a year to prevent these dangerous drugs from potentially killing our family, friends, and neighbors.”

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File # S221340031

Details:

On May 18, 2022 at 2:00 PM, Rancho Mirage Special Enforcement Team deputies located a silver minivan matching the description of a vehicle used during the theft of packages from porches. Deputies conducted a traffic a stop and arrested both suspects. A search warrant was authored for the vehicle which revealed a loaded 9mm pistol with a 50-round drum magazine and a shoulder-mount stabilizer, 481 grams of fentanyl, 62 grams of methamphetamine, and 20 grams of cocaine.

Property from the package thefts was located inside the vehicle and will be returned to the victim. Dale Adams, a 38-year-old resident of Yucca Valley, was arrested for Grand Theft, numerous narcotics and firearms violations, and multiple outstanding arrest warrants. Mallory Bauer, a 31-year-old resident of Temecula, was arrested for Grand Theft. Both suspects were booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in the City of Indio.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with additional information to contact Deputy Stewart of the Rancho Mirage Special Enforcement Team at (760) 836-1600 or call anonymously at (760) 341-STOP (7867) and reference incident numbers S221340031.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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