DEA seeking Houstonians to burn 1,000 pounds of marijuana per hour

>> Click through this galleryh to see maps and charts showing how drugs make their way across the border into Texas and the rest of the US. less The DEA is seeking a contractor in Houston to incinerate drugs held as evidence, including marijuana. >> Click through this galleryh to see maps and charts showing how drugs make their way across the ... more The DEA is seeking a contractor in Houston to incinerate drugs held as evidence, including marijuana. Photo: Randall Benton, TNS Photo: Randall Benton, TNS Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close DEA seeking Houstonians to burn 1,000 pounds of marijuana per hour 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

No, this is not a secret sting operation by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The federal force tasked with hunting down drug traffickers and illegal substances is looking for a Houston-area contractor to help incinerate evidence held by the DEA, including papers, cassette tapes, bulk marijuana, pharmaceuticals, and other incidental controlled substances.

Again, no, this does not mean that anyone can take a brick of weed and say they'll take care of business for the DEA. In a post seeking the contractors, the DEA outlines specific parameters for who can win the bid.

The contractor must be able to incinerate up to 1,000 pounds of bulk marijuana per hour, up to eight hours a day. Any workers associated with the incineration will be drug tested and have their background checked.

The DEA would also have a representative present during the incineration. Other measures, including a closed-circuit surveillance system, would be in place to make sure nothing happened to the drugs before incineration.

While the agency is seeking a contractor in Houston, they are also looking to work with contractors in Galveston, Beaumont, McAllen, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Eagle Pass, Del Rio, San Antonio, Austin and Waco.

The contract runs from late March to September 2019.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message

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