The criminal cases against a Lincoln pair accused of conspiring to sell fentanyl-laced cocaine stolen from the Nebraska State Patrol's evidence locker have moved to federal court.
Anna Idigima, a former patrol evidence technician, and George Weaver Jr., the owner of a Lincoln restaurant, have been indicted for conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, a detectable amount of fentanyl and marijuana.
They had been facing drug charges in state court, where on Thursday the Lancaster County Attorney's Office filed motions to dismiss their cases.
Both have made their initial appearances and entered not guilty pleas. A trial date hasn't yet been set.
If convicted, they would face 10 years to life in prison.
Last month, Lincoln Police and the State Patrol announced their arrests and the theft of more than $1.2 million worth of narcotics from the patrol's evidence facility, including $329,800 worth of cocaine.
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Idigima
Idigima, 35, had been a Nebraska State Patrol employee for more than a decade, patrol Col. John Bolduc said. Weaver, 36, owns and runs GrannyWeavs Soul Food and Catering in Lincoln, a business he started after a stint in prison.
The two had been dating since the middle of July, according to police.
Weaver Jr.
At separate hearings Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Fullerton argued for their continued detention pending trial.
While Idigima doesn't have a substantial criminal history, Fullerton said, "she was in basically a position of public trust with the State Patrol's evidence room and is alleged to have stolen significant quantities of cocaine and fentanyl, which were then suspected to have been distributed by her codefendant to other persons."
Idigima's attorney, Jamel Connor, said she had only one speeding ticket on her record, has lived all her life in Lincoln and has four children, three of whom are minors.
Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart said there was a presumption of detention in the case, and the grand jury has found that she was able to "under the nose of the Nebraska State Patrol do some fairly significant criminal activity."
"If she can work in their facility and they can't see it, how is Pretrial Services to trust anything she says about her conduct while they're trying to supervise her," she said.
Zwart said on the other hand, Idigima has some medical issues that had significant risk of problems if she were to be in custody in a jail cell and likely wouldn't do well if she were to get COVID-19 there.
So she placed her on home incarceration with electronic monitoring, saying she didn't want her out and about because she didn't think she could trust her.
Weaver's attorney, Oluseyi Olowolafe, had argued for release as well, saying he is the father of 14 children, ranging in age from 3 to 18, whom he supports. Without him in his own business, his family suffers, he said.
Olowolafe said Weaver intends to get treatment for his substance abuse issues, which Fullerton said involved daily marijuana use until his arrest and daily cocaine use until July.
Fullerton argued against release, pointing to Weaver's extensive criminal history and calling him a significant risk to the community to reoffend.
Zwart agreed.
At Weaver's initial hearing, Fullerton said the case was related to Brandon Davis' indictment last month for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, distribution of cocaine and fentanyl causing serious bodily injury, and conspiracy to deliver cocaine and fentanyl.
Police have tied him to at least six overdoses.
It's unclear if the drugs Davis is accused of selling were part of the cache of drugs stolen from the State Patrol.
Police have alleged that Idigima took $1.2 million worth of drugs from the evidence locker sometime after June 1, including more than 150 pounds of marijuana, nearly 20 pounds of cocaine, about 10 pounds of fentanyl, 9 pounds of heroin and 3 pounds of meth.
Fentanyl-laced cocaine led to 35 overdoses and nine deaths, plus an unborn child, in the Lincoln area between July 25 and Aug. 19.
It's unclear how many of those overdoses or deaths are linked directly to the cocaine taken from the patrol's evidence facility, but court filings link the supply to at least one death: a 35-year-old woman on Aug. 5.
25 most commonly used recreational drugs in America
America's vices: Alcohol, tobacco and more
From alcohol to cigarettes, most adults have tried some form of recreational drug. Fewer people have experimented with prescription medication for recreational reasons, but certain areas of the country are experiencing a serious problem with opoid addiction. Other drugs like cocaine and LSD, are used sporadically among adults in the U.S.
Using data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive, the experts at HealthGrove, a health data site, ranked the 25 most commonly used recreational drugs. The substances are ordered by the increasing percentage of people age 12 and over who used the drug recreationally in 2015. In the case of a tie, the drug with a higher classification by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is ranked higher.
To collect this data, SAMHDA conducts the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in which they record use of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the U.S. population aged 12 or older. It is important to note that this data only includes recreational use of drugs, not proper medical use.
Drugs that are legal, alcohol and tobacco, have the highest recreational use. According to the survey, nearly one in five people over the age of 12 also used marijuana in 2015. As the drug becomes legal in more states, recreational use is likely to increase. Other Schedule I drugs (drugs determined to have no medical benefit by the DEA) including heroin and DMT had a recreational prevalence rate of less than 1 percent in 2015.
Note: Not all images in slideshow depict the exact drugs.
#25. Ketamine
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.17 percent
Drug category: Hallucinogen
DEA Schedule: III
Common forms: Liquid, powder
#24. Oxymorphone
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Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.18 percent
Drug category: Opioid
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Tablet
#23. DMT
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.2 percent
Drug category: Hallucinogen
DEA Schedule: I
Common forms: Powder, crystal
#22. Carisoprodol (Soma)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.21 percent
Drug category: Tranquilzer
DEA Schedule: IV
Common forms: Pill
#21. Methadone
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.23 percent
Drug category: Opioid
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Tablet, dispersible tablet, liquid
#20. Lorazepam (Ativan)
_tablets,_1_mg.jpg#/media/File:Lorafen_(lorazepamum)_tablets,_1_mg.jpg)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.33 percent
Drug category: Sedative
DEA Schedule: IV
Common forms: Pill, capsule, liquid
#19. Morphine
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.37 percent
Drug category: Opioid
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Tablet, liquid, capsule, suppository
#18. Buprenorphine
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.38 percent
Drug category: Opioid
DEA Schedule: III
Common forms: Pill
#17. Heroin
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.39 percent
Drug category: Opioid
DEA Schedule: I
Common forms: Powder, tar
#16. Zolpidem (Ambien)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.45 percent
Drug category: Sedative
DEA Schedule: IV
Common forms: Pill, capsule, liquid
#15. Diazepam (Valium)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.54 percent
Drug category: Tranquilzer
DEA Schedule: IV
Common forms: Pill, capsule, liquid
#14. Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.6 percent
Drug category: Tranquilzer
DEA Schedule: IV
Common forms: Pill
#13. Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.61 percent
Drug category: Stimulant
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Liquid, tablet, capsule
#12. Methamphetamine
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.68 percent
Drug category: Stimulant
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Powder, pill, crystal
#11. Tramadol
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 0.77 percent
Drug category: Opioid
DEA Schedule: IV
Common forms: Pill
#10. LSD
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 1.07 percent
Drug category: Hallucinogen
DEA Schedule: I
Common forms: Tablet, capsule, liquid, paper
#9. MDMA (Ecstasy/Molly)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 1.5 percent
Drug category: Hallucinogen
DEA Schedule: I
Common forms: Tablet, capsule, liquid
#8. Alprazolam (Xanax)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 2.05 percent
Drug category: Tranquilzer
DEA Schedule: IV
Common forms: Pill, capsule, liquid
#7. Oxycodone (OxyContin)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 2.05 percent
Drug category: Opioid
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Capsule, liquid, tablet
#6. Cocaine
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 2.19 percent
Drug category: Stimulant
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Powder, crystal
#5. Amphetamine (Adderall)
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 2.8 percent
Drug category: Stimulant
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Tablet, capsule
#4. Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
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Recreational use prevalence (2015): 3.17 percent
Drug category: Opioid
DEA Schedule: II
Common forms: Pill
#3. Marijuana
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 17.68 percent
Drug category: Depressant
DEA Schedule: I
Common forms: Plant, resin, oil
#2. Tobacco
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 31.1 percent
Drug category: Stimulant
DEA Schedule: N/A
Common forms: Cigarette, cigar, bidi, hookah, snuff, chew
#1. Alcohol
Recreational use prevalence (2015): 61.42 percent
Drug category: Depressant
DEA Schedule: N/A
Common forms: Liquid
Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSpilger
Lori Pilger
Public safety reporter
Lori Pilger is a Norfolk native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate who has been a public safety reporter for the Journal Star since 2005.
