Buffalo Man Indicted For Selling Fentanyl Resulting In Two Deaths
Saturday, November 23, 2024, 5:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BUFFALO, NY.- On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, a Federal Grand Jury for the Western District of New York returned a superseding indictment charging Rashaun Crule, 30, of Buffalo, New York, with Narcotics Conspiracy and two counts of Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Death.
If convicted at trial, Crule faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and up to life in federal prison on each count of the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. The actual term of imprisonment will be determined by a U.S. District Court Judge based on the seriousness of the offenses and Crule’s prior criminal history. At the time of these offenses, Crule was on probation for a 2022 felony drug conviction in Erie County.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross and charging information unsealed in the indictment, in February 2023, Crule distributed fentanyl to two individuals identified as M.M. and B.Y. in Amherst, New York. The two victims believed they were purchasing cocaine when, in reality, Crule delivered a bag of pure fentanyl.
After receiving the bag, both M.M. and B.Y. ingested the fentanyl, overdosing immediately, and died as a result. The bodies of M.M. and B.Y. were not found until days later.
Following being arrested, a court-authorized search of Crule’s cellular phone revealed that he deleted all messages between himself and one of the victims. In addition, about five months after the deaths of M.M. and B.Y., Crule joked in a text message with another individual about the strength of the fentanyl that he was selling, responding with laughing emojis to a message suggesting his fentanyl was strong enough to cause overdoses.
U.S. Attorney Ross credited the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Amherst Police Department for the superseding indictment.
