Untitled Document
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is recruiting private security
forces to load, transport and unload "multi-ton" shipments of seized
marijuana en route to destruction in Arizona. It's conducting what is known as
a "sources sought" inquiry to determine the availability of commercial
firms that can provide on-call deployments of armed contractors to protect these
bulk transports of pot.
"The work to be performed will be the loading of multi-ton quantities
of marijuana at a secure site, providing protection and security enroute to
the destruction facility, offloading multi-ton quantities of marijuana at the
destruction facility, and providing security until all the marijuana is destroyed,"
the sources-sought
notice said.
The document, which was added to the federal Electronic Posting System database
on Thursday (Aug. 11), said that initial security "runs" of the cannabis
shipments will take place in and around Tuscon, Ariz., as well as between Tuscon
and "Nogales and/or Sierra Vista, Arizona." Future locations may include
"Yuma and/or Phoenix," it added.
DEA and its private security agents will transport the marijuana tonnage "on
an irregular basis, and will not be scheduled more than a few days in advance,"
it said. "Runs may be needed as often as once a week, but the interval
between runs may be much longer."
DEA will provide a vehicle to transport the marijuana, but requires contractors
to provide their own "security/follow vehicle capable of carrying four
people, including the driver." The agency set an Aug. 16 deadline for submission
of capability statements from interested security firms.
