FBI investigators discovered powered cocaine on the firearm pouch Hunter Biden had used to hold the gun he allegedly purchased in October 2018, Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors said in a Tuesday court filing.
Special counsel David Weiss’ team filed a response motion to Hunter Biden’s selective prosecution claim and described how FBI investigators retrieved the alleged firearm in 2023 and found the alleged cocaine.
“Based on their training and experience, investigators believed that this substance was likely cocaine and that this evidence would corroborate the messages that investigators had obtained which showed the defendant buying and using drugs in October 2018. An FBI chemist subsequently analyzed the residue and determined that it was cocaine. To be clear, investigators literally found drugs on the pouch where the defendant had kept his gun,” the filing adds.
Hunter Biden battled an addiction to crack cocaine that formed the basis of his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” and he has accused his political opponents of weaponizing his addiction against him.
Portions of the memoir are included in the DOJ’s response motion in addition to messages from his Apple iCloud account where he allegedly made references to buying and smoking crack cocaine. In addition, prosecutors reference alleged photos on his phone of crack cocaine.
Hunter Biden’s legal team argued in December the gun charges should be dismissed for a variety of reasons such as selective prosecution and the pretrial diversion agreement that was part of his failed guilty plea agreement with federal prosecutors.
The guilty plea agreement says Hunter Biden regained his sobriety in May 2019 when he married his current wife. Biden’s conditions of release prohibit him from using drugs or alcohol.
The DOJ filed a separate motion Tuesday arguing the diversion agreement is not legally binding because it did not get the required signature from a Delaware probation officer and never went into effect.
Hunter Biden was indicted in September on three federal gun charges in Delaware stemming from his alleged 2018 purchase of a Colt Cobra revolver while he battled an addiction to illicit drugs.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment in October and faces up to 25 years in prison.
