Drug-Addicted Rats Consume Evidence in Houston Police Storage

Rodents feeding on seized narcotics have prompted Houston officials to overhaul evidence storage practices and notify attorneys in thousands of cases.

Houston police discovered in October 2024 that rats had been consuming seized drugs, including marijuana and mushrooms, stored in evidence rooms.
Officials revealed that over 1.2 million pieces of evidence, including 400,000 pounds of marijuana, were being stored, some dating back to the 1990s.
The district attorney's office has notified defense attorneys in more than 3,600 open drug-related cases, though only one active case has been directly impacted by the infestation.
Authorities have approved the destruction of drug evidence collected before 2015 and other outdated materials to address the backlog and prevent further infestations.
Experts noted that evidence room infestations are a nationwide issue due to improper disposal practices and the prolonged storage of irrelevant materials.