Houston (Texas/USA) - Authorities in the city of Houston in the US state of Texas have a rat problem . The rodents have apparently taken a liking to mind-altering evidence that the police have stored in evidence rooms. According to a report in "The Washington Post", they now want to take action against "ganja mice".

"We have 400,000 pounds (almost 181 tons; editor's note) of marijuana stored that only the rats like," said Houston Mayor John Whitmire (75) at a press conference earlier this month. The Houston police recently emphasized that they are fighting against a plague of rats that are preying on contraband. The rodent problem should now not get any worse thanks to exterminators, for example.

According to the report, authorities want to work together to destroy the drug evidence seized before 2015, which no longer has any value, and "clean it out" properly.

Allowing seized narcotics to pile up could jeopardize the more valuable evidence - because it attracts pests, says the head of the Houston Forensic Science Center, Peter Stout. "They're edible, they're tasty, they're all kinds of things. You can't store large quantities of drugs without expecting some of these things to happen," Stout said.

According to him, however, it is a challenge to get rid of the rodents completely: "They are drug-addicted rats. It's hard to deal with them." Overcrowded or vermin-infested evidence rooms affect not only Houston, but police departments across the country, Stout said.