A former patrol evidence technician and the owner of a Lincoln restaurant were arrested in the theft.
Lincoln Police and the Nebraska State Patrol have linked fentanyl-laced cocaine that has led to multiple overdose deaths to the patrol’s own evidence locker, the agencies announced in a joint press conference Friday.
A former patrol evidence technician and the owner of a Lincoln restaurant were arrested in the theft.
The law enforcement agencies announced the arrest of Anna Idigima and George Weaver Jr. on suspicion of conspiracy to distribute 140 grams or more of cocaine or fentanyl, a felony charge.
Idigma, 35, had been a Nebraska State Patrol employee for more than a decade, patrol Col. John Bolduc said. Weaver, 36, owned and operated GrannyWeavs Soul Food and Catering in Lincoln, a business he started after a stint in prison.
Still, Bolduc defended the patrol’s “top-notch evidence storage system and facility” which he said is “constantly being audited and reviewed.”
Fentanyl-laced cocaine led to 35 overdoses in the Lincoln area between July 25 and Aug. 19, according to Lincoln Police. Nine victims and one unborn child died as a result of those overdoses, LPD Chief Teresa Ewins said on Friday.
LPD Capt. Ryan Dale, who leads the Lincoln-Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force, said the State Patrol has been fully cooperative with the unit’s investigation into Idigima.
Dale said the department isn’t yet sure exactly how many overdoses or deaths the once-seized cocaine is linked to. He said it was “heartbreaking” to learn that illegal drugs that had been taken off the streets by law enforcement found their way back, resulting in the death of at least one person, according to the warrant.
