Houston’s police evidence room has a surprising problem—rats have been feasting on massive amounts of seized drugs, including marijuana and magic mushrooms. These furry intruders have made themselves right at home in the downtown storage facility, turning decades-old narcotics into their personal buffet.
At a recent press conference, Houston Mayor John Whitmire painted a vivid picture of the situation. “We’ve got 400,000 pounds of marijuana in storage,” he said. “The rats are the only ones enjoying it.”
The issue highlights a bigger challenge for the Houston Police Department: a severely backlogged evidence room. By policy, police have been unable to dispose of old evidence, causing years of accumulation. Critics argue this setup ties up resources and keeps officers off the streets.
Rats, however, aren’t picky about the details. Along with marijuana, they’ve nibbled their way into packaging containing magic mushrooms, according to Harris County District Attorney General Counsel Joshua Reiss. Officials have had enough and announced a plan to start destroying outdated drug evidence, starting with anything seized before 2015.
Moving forward, evidence tied to plea bargains can also be disposed of if both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree. This shift, according to Harris County DA Sean Teare, should help clear out the clutter and prevent future infestations.
In the meantime, the DA’s office is notifying defendants in 3,600 cases about the possibility that evidence may have been compromised. So far, though, only one case appears to have been directly affected by the rat invasion.
Houston’s cleanup effort aims to address not just the rodent problem but also long-standing inefficiencies in handling evidence—hopefully ensuring the city’s rats find a new menu soon.
