'Drug-Addicted Rats' Destroy Narcotics in Texas Police Lockers

The Houston Police Department’s downtown evidence room and a separate warehouse contain about 1.2 million pieces of evidence, including hundreds of thousands of pounds of drugs. Some of this evidence has been in storage for decades, even though some cases have been closed for a long time.

“We’ve got 400,000 pounds of marijuana in storage,” Mayor Whitmire said. “The rats are the only ones enjoying it.”

Houston’s forensic experts said that the massive stash of drugs is not only attracting rodents but also putting other types of evidence at risk. “You can’t store large quantities of drugs without expecting some of these things to happen,” said Peter Stout, head of the Houston Forensic Science Center.

To fix the problem, Teare announced that drugs from cases before 2015 would be destroyed. A rule that prevented drug evidence from being destroyed unless the case was from before 2005 has now been changed.

Prosecutors have also notified defense attorneys in 3,600 open drug cases, letting them know about the rat issue. Officials said only one current case had been affected, where rats got into a bag of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Although exterminators have been hired to deal with the rats, officials admit that the problem has been hard to fully solve. “They’re drug-addicted rats. They’re tough to deal with,” Stout joked.

This isn’t the first time rats have caused problems with drug evidence. In 2024, officials in New Orleans said their police department also had issues with rats and cockroaches eating narcotics.

Mayor Whitmire pointed out in the press conference that much of the stored evidence no longer serves any purpose, adding that cleaning up the storage rooms will help improve the system.