DEA looking for contractor to burn 1,000 pounds of marijuana per hour
HOUSTON — The Drug Enforcement Agency needs to clear its evidence vaults of marijuana that is no longer needed for evidentiary purposes, and they're looking for a contractor in Texas that can incinerate a very high volume of pot.
According to a document outlining the DEA's requirements, the incineration provider must be able to process at least 1,000 pounds of marijuana per hour, for eight hours a day.
The contractor must be able to accept tightly-compressed bricks or bales of pot in packages weighing up to 200 pounds each.
"The incinerator facility shall have a secured fence around it. The facility fencing should exceed a height to ensure prevention by the public from viewing the incineration process," the document states.
The DEA would monitor the incineration process via closed-circuit cameras and require annual drug tests for all of the incineration facility's employees.
The DEA sent the following statement to KHOU in response to apparent inquiries from eager volunteers:
"Although we appreciate local citizens’ willingness to offer their help, this is a complicated, large-scale government contract we’re required by law to bid every few years, and there are usually only a handful of companies with the necessary facilities and resources to help us dispose of this material. While it makes for an interesting headline, the truth is far more prosaic - our agents working across the Houston Division make a huge number of great cases, and as a result, we seize a tremendous amount of illegal drugs. Arranging for the safe and effective destruction of these drugs is just part of the job."