A Lincoln father and son already facing drug charges now are indicted for an overdose death last year, which are believed to be the first criminal charges to come from a string of overdoses last year from tainted cocaine.
And a pair accused of the theft of more than $1.2 million worth of narcotics from the Nebraska State Patrol's evidence facility, including $329,800 worth of cocaine, now are accused of conspiring to sell drugs that led to serious injuries.
In a superseding indictment, which replaces the original indictment, the grand jury alleges Russell Rucks Jr., 29, conspired to distribute a mix of cocaine and fentanyl between April 1, 2021, and Aug. 12, 2021, resulting in serious bodily injury to two people and the death of a third.
The victims are identified only by their initials.
Russell Rucks Sr., 51, now is indicted on the same allegations, plus a separate count for a delivery July 27, 2021, and his son for a delivery July 24, 2021.
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They both are charged with possession with intent to distribute on Aug. 12, 2021. The Nebraska U.S. Attorney's Office also is seeking the forfeiture of $5,584 cash seized from Rucks Jr. on Aug. 12, 2021, the day of their arrests.
That same month, Lincoln Police and the State Patrol announced the arrests of Anna Idigima, who had worked in the State Patrol's evidence unit, and George Weaver Jr., her boyfriend, and the theft of more than $1.2 million worth of narcotics from the patrol's evidence facility, including $329,800 worth of cocaine.
In October, they were indicted for conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, a detectable amount of fentanyl and marijuana.
At a hearing this spring, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Fullerton said an expert was reviewing a number of overdose cases to provide her medical opinion on the possible causes.
On Tuesday, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment, accusing the pair of conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms (roughly 11 pounds) of a mix of cocaine, 400 grams (0.88 of a pound) of fentanyl and 50 kilos (110 pounds) of marijuana between June 1, 2021, and Sept. 23, 2021, resulting in serious bodily injury to three people.
Idigima and Weaver also are facing a count for distributing fentanyl between July 15, 2021, and Aug. 4, 2021, resulting in serious injury to two of them. And distributing it again between Aug. 1, 2021, and Aug. 18, 2021, resulting in serious injury to the third.
It wasn't immediately clear if their case was related to the Rucks' cases.
In a search warrant filed last year, Lincoln Police Investigator Forrest Dalton described an investigation of Rucks that involved eight drug overdoses on cocaine mixed with fentanyl.
A confidential informant told police he arranged with Rucks Sr. the purchase of 4 ounces of cocaine, delivered by Rucks Jr. on July 24, 2021. Then, the informant delivered 1 ounce of it to a customer who called the CI soon after saying someone had overdosed on it and he needed to take it back. Which he did.
Another customer called the CI the same day trying to buy a half ounce of cocaine. He said he told the customer it was bad and he didn't want to sell it. But the customer persisted so he did.
Late that night, the customer called the CI complaining that several people had overdosed on it, according to the court records.