A Buffalo man faces federal gun and drug charges after investigators linked him to a fatal overdose and found a rifle during a search of his home.
Tehran Muhammad, 40, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors said the investigation began in February 2025 after a person was found unresponsive inside a bathroom stall at Sisters of Charity Hospital on Feb. 13. Burned tinfoil with suspected fentanyl was found nearby.
The victim was admitted to the hospital and pronounced dead the next day. Authorities determined the cause of death was non-traumatic anoxic brain injury caused by drug intoxication and overdose.
Investigators reviewed medical records, cellphone data and hospital surveillance footage. They determined the victim began communicating Feb. 12 with someone identified in messages as “Cuzo Dope,” later identified as Muhammad.
According to the complaint, text messages show the victim contacted Muhammad to purchase drugs Feb. 12 and 13. Cellphone data and surveillance video placed both the victim and Muhammad near the hospital around the time of the overdose.
Authorities also conducted two controlled drug purchases from Muhammad during the investigation.
On Feb. 27, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Muhammad’s Seminole Parkway residence. Officers seized a rifle, ammunition and drug paraphernalia.
Muhammad was convicted in 2005 of attempted burglary in the first degree and rape in the first degree. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
He appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was held pending a detention hearing scheduled for March 4 before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Buffalo Police Department investigated the case.
A criminal complaint is an accusation. Muhammad is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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