(WNY News Now)Buffalo, New York.Rashaun Crule, 30, of Buffalo, New York, has been charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and distribution of fentanyl that results in death. There is a mandatory minimum punishment of 20 years and a potential sentence of life in prison if found guilty of the allegations, which are related to the deaths of two people in February 2023.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan K. Glaberson, Crule allegedly gave a substance to victims M.M. and B.Y. in Amherst, New York, posing as cocaine. The material was identified by investigators as pure fentanyl. After consuming it, both victims overdosed right away, and it took several days for their bodies to be found.
After the incident, Crule erased messages with one of the victims, according to an inquiry. He allegedly made a joke about the strength of his fentanyl in a text message months later, laughing when someone made a statement about the possibility of overdosing.
Crule was on probation for a felony drug conviction in Erie County in 2022 at the time of the alleged offenses.
Chief Scott Chamberlin of the Amherst Police Department and Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino of the New York Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) both conducted investigations into the case.
Crule is deemed innocent unless proven guilty in court, as is the case with all criminal prosecutions.