Ex-Drug Cop Kober Gets Probation for Hoarding $18K in Pills

Christopher Kober, 46, once tasked with destroying unused prescription drugs, now stands convicted of hoarding them. The former Nebraska State Patrol officer and DEA Drug Diversion Task Force member was sentenced today in federal court for possession of Schedule II controlled substances — a grim irony given his sworn duty to protect the public from exactly this kind of abuse.

Kober’s fall from grace began unraveling on March 17, 2017, when law enforcement officers entered his Bellevue, Nebraska residence and found 1,800 pills stashed in a bag among his personal belongings. The cache included Acetaminophen Hydrocodone Bitartrate, Oxycodone Hydrochloride, Acetaminophen Oxycodone, Morphine Sulfate, and Fentanyl patches — all classified as Schedule II narcotics with a combined street value of $18,000.

Magistrate Judge Susan M. Bazis handed down a sentence of two years’ probation, but imposed strict conditions. As part of his plea agreement, Kober must surrender his law enforcement certification, accept his termination from the Nebraska State Patrol without appeal, and is barred from seeking any future law enforcement employment. The decision strips him of the badge and the authority he once wielded in the name of public safety.

Kober’s role on the DEA Drug Diversion Task Force involved collecting unused prescription medications from public drop boxes — a program designed to prevent drug diversion. Instead, he exploited that access, turning a public health initiative into a personal stockpile. The betrayal cuts deep in a state already ravaged by opioid abuse.

The investigation that brought Kober down was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bellevue Police Department. Their probe revealed no evidence he distributed the drugs, but possession alone of such volume — especially by a sworn officer — sparked outrage and raised urgent questions about oversight within law enforcement drug units.

While Kober avoided prison, his punishment marks a public fall from grace. Once entrusted to combat the opioid epidemic, he now stands as a cautionary tale: power, access, and addiction can corrupt even those sworn to uphold the law.