A former Columbus police officer has been sentenced to a term of 65 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that involved the distribution of fentanyl and cocaine. The former officer, John J. Kotchkoski, age 36, from Marengo, Ohio, entered a guilty plea to charges of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, a powerful and often-deadly opioid.
"Failing to uphold his oath to serve the residents of this great community, Kotchkoski forever stained his badge, not the badge of all the incredible men and women of the Columbus Division of Police. He should be held accountable for his misdeeds. This sentence of more than five years in prison for conspiring to distribute this poison in our community should send a message to every member of law enforcement that any such failure to uphold our oath to the community will not be tolerated," stated U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.
The sentencing, which took place in the U.S. District Court, comes after Kotchkoski’s arrest in September 2021. Court documents revealed that from at least June 2021 through his arrest, Kotchkoski was engaged in illegal activities with a fellow officer and a confidential informant to traffic drugs. In total, Kotchkoski helped facilitate the trafficking of approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine and endeavored to profit from the sale of more than eight kilograms of fentanyl alongside his coconspirators.
A significant part of the conspiracy saw Kotchkoski supplying a confidential informant with cocaine to be sold, wherein he retained the bulk of the proceeds. Additionally, the defendant had an agreement with the other officer to receive a share of the drug proceeds from the sales of fentanyl. "For example, on at least three occasions, the coconspirator distributed fentanyl to another individual and accepted $32,500 for approximately one of the kilograms of fentanyl," Kotchkoski received a cut of these proceeds, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's press release.
As a result of his conviction, Kotchkoski is required to forfeit various assets, including a Cadillac Escalade, a Chevrolet Corvette, over 20 firearms, and a money judgment totaling half a million dollars. His coconspirator, Marco R. Merino, was previously sentenced in February 2023 to nine years in prison. The case was brought to light by the collaborative efforts of the Southern District of Ohio's U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Columbus Division of Police, the Ohio Attorney General, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the FBI’s Public Corruption Task Force.
