Reporter recalls chaos outside Biden White House as cocaine mystery unfolded

Independent journalist Andrew Leyden's casual bike ride through the nation's capital took an unexpected turn in July 2023 when he noticed hazmat fire trucks approaching the area around the White House. 

"Something big was going on, something bigger than normal," Leyden said in the new Fox Nation special, "Cocaine at 1600."

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The White House, seen from the park side on Oct. 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The "something bigger" was a small baggie of white powder identified as cocaine. 

That baggie would become the source of speculation for some time, as the Trump administration now takes another look into the case that was shuttered during former President Joe Biden's term. That incident, and the mysteries surrounding it, are the focus of "Cocaine at 1600." 

The show investigates who brought the substance into the White House in the first place and incorporates stories and perspectives like Leyden's to explore the incident in detail.

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A photo of the baggie of cocaine discovered in the White House in July 2023. (U.S. Secret Service)

A source close to the investigation has confirmed to Fox Nation that a guest in the White House found the baggie and alerted the Secret Service, which in turn called the D.C. Fire Department.

"There are hazmat incidents at the White House every week outside with backpacks and usually the Secret Service handles that on their own," Leyden explained.

"They can see it's a backpack, they maybe bring their dogs up, the firemen don't even come nearby, [the hazmat teams are] not even needed."

But, when hazmat teams went into the perimeter and down West Executive, he knew something was amiss.

Leyden, who usually carries a scanner with him, said the fire department would typically make hazardous material calls on an encrypted channel, meaning no one can hear them.

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However, this call went out on a publicly open channel. Despite not knowing about the discovery of cocaine in the building, Leyden described spending approximately an hour on the scene, hearing chaotic radio calls amid the chaos. 

"Cocaine at 1600" is available now on Fox Nation. 

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