Tarik Muhammad, Cocaine Distribution, Massachusetts 2022

BOSTON – In a significant blow to the city’s underworld, Tarik Muhammad, 27, has been sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

On June 3, 2022, Muhammad pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. This marked the culmination of a multi-year investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) comprised of Boston-based street gang members and associates.

The investigation, which began in November 2018, targeted a drug trafficking operation in the Commonwealth Development in Brighton, formerly known as Fidelis Way, a multi-apartment public housing development. It is alleged that the defendants, through their drug trafficking activities, assumed control over multiple apartments, where they stored, cooked, packaged and sold drugs.

The DTO’s activities allegedly continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown, with large-scale drug suppliers and their associates remaining active. Muhammad was identified as a drug distributor for the DTO, with intercepted calls revealing communication regarding coordinated meetup locations.

During a stop by law enforcement, Muhammad was found to be in possession of an object at the crease of his buttocks, which he attempted to dispose of during transport to the police station. A ripped plastic bag containing white residue was subsequently recovered from the outer area of his buttocks.

Muhammad is the eighth defendant to be sentenced in the case, with 13 others having pleaded guilty and awaiting sentencing, three pending trial, and one defendant remaining at large. The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.

The OCDETF program identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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