The Houston Police Department has a rat problem, and we’re not talking about informants.
The department’s property warehouse has been infested by rodents that are after the thousands of pounds of drugs that have been confiscated and stored over the decades.
Houston PD, along with Mayor John Whitmire, is now committed to cleaning up the problem, including disposing of 400,000 pounds of cannabis, which “the rats are the only ones enjoying.”
Peter Stout, president and CEO of Houston Forensic Science Center, said that rat infestations in evidence lockups are common. But it can be especially difficult keeping them away from drugs.
"[HPD] had professional exterminators involved but this is difficult, getting these rodents out of there. I mean think about it, they're drug addicted rats, they're tough to deal with," he said, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Rats have often been blamed for eating cannabis placed in secure storage.
The New Orleans Police Department had a similar issue last year and Indian police in 2022 accused rats of eating more than 400 pounds of confiscated cannabis.
