LINCOLN, Neb. -- A former Nebraska State Patrol evidence technician who stole $1.2 million worth of drugs from evidence storage areas — drugs later tied to a series of overdoses — was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 22 years in prison.
Anna Idigima, 38, pleaded guilty to one drug conspiracy count in federal court in February. Idigima and her boyfriend, George Weaver Jr., conspired to steal cocaine, some of it laced with fentanyl, and sell it, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Weaver is awaiting sentencing in October.
Idigima apologized during her sentencing hearing. Senior U.S. District Judge John Gerrard said the ramifications were huge: The drugs were connected to a series of overdoses, and nearly 100 criminal cases had to be dismissed because of the lost evidence.
“And for what? A guy? A little bit of cash on the side?" Gerrard asked. “There just isn’t any reason that can explain this.”
Puzzled by an unprecedented spate of overdoses in 2021, narcotics investigators in the Lincoln area uncovered the plot. They audited storage areas where Idigima had access and found 154 pounds (70 kilograms) of marijuana, 19 pounds (9 kilograms) of cocaine and 6 pounds (3 kilograms) of fentanyl missing.