Former Columbus police officer pleads guilty to trafficking more than 8 kilos of fentanyl
A former Columbus police officer who was accused of trafficking more than eight kilograms of fentanyl admitted to his actions Tuesday in federal court.
Marco Merino, 44, entered guilty pleas to charges of accepting bribes and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in U.S. District Court in Columbus as part of a plea agreement, according to court records.
Merino trafficked more than eight kilograms of fentanyl that he provided to a confidential informant in August 2021, days before he and fellow Columbus police narcotics detective John Kotchkoski, 33, were arrested, court records show.
Merino "also agreed to take official acts in his capacity as a police officer to provide protection and safe transport for multiple transports of cocaine, totaling 47 kilograms," according to the plea agreement in court records. "The transports of cocaine were fabrications as part of law enforcement operations. Mr. Merino solicited, agreed to accept, and did accept controlled bribe payments totaling $45,000 for the agreement to protect the transportation of 47 kilograms of cocaine."
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The court records show Merino agreed to protect shipments of what he believed to be cocaine in March, April, May and August.
Merino also admitted to giving 31 grams of fentanyl to an informant in June, more than 1,000 grams to an informant in early August, and eight kilograms of fentanyl to an undercover FBI agent Merino believed to be an informant a few weeks later, the records state.
"Unlike the purported cocaine involved in transports, the fentanyl that Merino distributed was real," U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said in a prepared statement. "Merino swore an oath to serve and protect our community as a law enforcement officer, and instead he conspired to traffic enough fentanyl to kill well over one million people."
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Merino resigned his position with Columbus police following his arrest. Charges against Kotchkoski remain pending.
Merino and Kotchkoski had worked in the cartel unit of the Columbus Division of Police's drug crimes bureau. The pair had graduated from the police academy together.
According to court records, Kotchkoski is accused of being available over police radio to make any calls that Merino needed during the transports of cocaine, including to other law enforcement officers, to protect the shipments. He is also accused of providing Merino with the fentanyl in June and August for distribution, which would have netted Merino between $60,000 and $80,000, according to court records.
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Kotchkoski is also accused of telling Merino that if Merino spoke of the illegal acts the two were accused of committing, he would have Merino's wife and children killed, according to court records.
Both Kotchkoski and Merino remain in federal custody.
Merino will be sentenced at a later date. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the bribery charge and a sentence of at least 10 years up to life in prison for the fentanyl distribution charge.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Columbus police officer admits to trafficking kilos of fentanyl
