Raffles Van Exel: I DID NOT Clean Up Cocaine From Whitney Houston's Death Scene

As we mentioned last week, the story surrounding Whitney Houston's death is far from over. Even though the coroner has released the late singer's cause of death as an accidental drowning which was precipitated by cocaine use immediately prior, the Beverly Hills Police Department is still investigating. Everyone is wondering: Why were there no traces of cocaine in the room when cops arrived and who disposed of the evidence? Now, it's being reported that a dealer delivered $1000 worth of cocaine (known as a "g pack") to Whitney's suite at the Beverly Hilton hours before she was found dead in the bathtub. It's also being reported that the late singer's "close friends" spent 15 minutes removing cocaine and/or cocaine paraphernalia from the hotel suite before 911 was called. Just this week media outlets are claiming Raffles Van Exel, the hanger-on who allegedly sold Whitney's casket photo the National Enquirer, admitted to the clean up. In the interview appearing in a Dutch newspaper, the 32-year-old is translated as saying: "Someone had to do it. The room was empty." That doesn't seem like he's admitting to destroying evidence. He's refused to clarify his comments, but since he has a direct line to the Enquirer -- you know, because he allegedly sold them that casket photo and has allegedly sold them stories -- he gave them an interview explaining himself and denying he cleaned up the drugs. In fact, he said by the time he showed up at the suite, there was no cocaine or weed anywhere. He also told the tabloid four people were in the room before he arrived -- Whitney's brother Gary, his wife Pat, Whitney's personal assistant Mary Jones and hairstylist Tiffanie Dixon.

"That's ridiculous," van Exel told The Enquirer. "I did get a call from a station (in Holland) a couple of days ago after Whitney died and spoke about her death in generalities. But of course I didn't say that." However, he did admit to being in Whitney's suite before authorities arrived. "I came into Whitney's room just before the police and paramedics did," he said. "I don't know what drugs were there, but the place was clean when I arrived. Only after the police had gone and Whitney's body had been removed did I help her brother Gary and wife Pat pack up Whitney's clothes and other possessions. That was the only so-called 'clean-up' I was involved in, and it had nothing to do with drugs. All three of us were shock then. We were crying. We couldn't believe that our beautiful Whitney was gone."

source: National Enquirer, April 9, print edition

We keep going back to that interview with Oprah in which Pat said she will "always" "protect" Whitney. Listen, we're not saying she cleaned up the drugs. We weren't there and don't know a thing. If Raffles is to believed, one of the four others in the room must have cleaned up the cocaine, no?


UPDATE, March 30: The folks over at TMZ are reporting that LAPD officers did recover "white, powdery remnants" from the Beverly Hilton hotel room where Whitney died. Tests done on that substance proved it's cocaine. According to the site, "cops are in the final stages of their investigation, but they are not focusing on anyone who possibly removed cocaine, because authorities are in possession of the goods." This is interesting because we recall investigators (or someone throughout the investigation) say no drugs (or drug paraphernalia) was recovered from the room. Interesting.