Lincoln Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Drugs

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that George Lesley Weaver, Jr., 38, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on June 5, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 kilograms or more of marijuana, resulting in serious bodily injury. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Weaver to 300 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Weaver’s release from prison, he will begin an 8-year term of supervised release.

Beginning in June of 2021, Weaver’s co-defendant, Anna Idigima, a Nebraska State Patrol, (NSP) stored evidence room employee, began stealing drugs held in completed NSP cases which were awaiting destruction orders. She provided the drugs to her boyfriend, Weaver, who sold them in Lincoln. The Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force, (LLCNTF), conducted an audit of the NSP evidence storage areas where Idigima had access during this timeframe.  The following approximate totals of drugs were found to be missing:

Marijuana                    -           154 pounds            
Cocaine                       -           19 pounds                              
Fentanyl                      -           6 pounds                                
Heroin                         -           10 pounds                              
Methamphetamine      -           3 pounds        
THC                            -           32 pounds                              
THC vape cartridges   -           1,720             
Also, numerous assorted pills.

In August of 2021, investigators searched Weaver’s Snap Chat account and found drug-related conversations and a photo of several large bags of marijuana on a bed.  One of the bags had a piece of red evidence label tape on it which was consistent with evidence tape used by NSP.  In a search of an apartment rented by Weaver on S. 21^st Street in Lincoln, investigators found residue containing cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana.

On August 4, 2021, a married couple both overdosed at their home in Nebraska City. One of them required CPR and both were given Narcan.  They were both transported to and hospitalized in Omaha.  During a search of their residence, two bags of white powder containing cocaine and fentanyl, weighing just under an ounce, were found.  A physician who is board certified in emergency medicine and medical toxicology reviewed first responder and hospital records for the couple and determined their use of cocaine laced with fentanyl carried a substantial risk of death had they not been given Narcan.

After they recovered, the couple told investigators they bought what they thought was an ounce of cocaine from a man in Lincoln.  On of the victims, working with NSP, had a recorded phone conversation with the source, who apologized for selling them bad cocaine and admitted the cocaine had fentanyl in it.  The source was contacted by law enforcement, admitted selling the cocaine to the Nebraska City couple and said he bought it from Weaver over the course of two purchases in late July 2021, and early August 2021. 

On August 18, 2021, a third victim was found unconscious and unresponsive near his residence in Lincoln.  He was given CPR and Narcan and was hospitalized.  A total of approximately four grams of cocaine and fentanyl were found in the victim’s car and wallet.  As with the Nebraska City couple, a physician specializing in emergency medicine and toxicology reviewed first responder reports and medical records and determined the victim would have been at a substantial risk of death had he not received Narcan.  The Lincoln victim later told investigators he bought what he thought was cocaine earlier on the day of his overdose from another person and had used some in his car just prior to his overdose. 

The Lincoln victim’s source was arrested with approximately one ounce of cocaine and fentanyl on August 20, 2021, and agreed to talk to law enforcement.  The source said it was some of the “bad stuff” causing overdoses and he got it from Weaver one to two weeks prior.  The source said he started buying cocaine from Weaver in about June of 2021in quantities ranging from grams to 1/8 ounce at a time.  On one occasion, the source saw approximately ½ pound of cocaine in the back of Weaver’s Lincoln restaurant, Granny Weavs.  This ½ pound was separated into one-ounce bags, one of which Weaver sold to Roberts.  On another occasion, the source saw a bag containing an estimated pound of marijuana hidden behind a vent in the back room of Granny Weavs. 

Another cooperating witness told investigators they bought cocaine from Weaver beginning in June of 2021. One purchase of approximately a pound of cocaine occurred at Granny Weavs.  The witness said Weaver also rented an apartment in Lincoln, where he sold cocaine and other drugs and collected money owed from customers. 

After Weaver was arrested in September of 2021, he was incarcerated with another cooperating witness in the fall of 2022.  Weaver talked about his girlfriend who worked for NSP and stole drugs from evidence lockers, including cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, methamphetamine, and pills.  Weaver talked about obtaining a couple of pounds or kilos of each of these drugs, estimated they were worth over a million dollars on the street, and talked about making good money selling these drugs.  Weaver told the witness he mixed a little fentanyl with cocaine and methamphetamine because the fentanyl was addictive and would make customers come back. 

Weaver’s co-defendant, Idigima, was sentenced for the same offense on July 19, 2023.  She was sentenced to 262 months’ imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force (Lincoln Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and UNL Police Department), the Nebraska State Patrol, the Nebraska City Police Department, and the Saline County Sheriff’s Office.