(WNY News Now) – A 32-year-old Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl in a case involving the 2023 deaths of two people in Amherst.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rashaun Crule, 32, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl that was later linked to the deaths of two people in Amherst, federal prosecutors announced.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Crule delivered a bag of fentanyl to an individual identified as M.M. on Feb. 10, 2023, at a location on Campus Drive in Amherst.

About 20 minutes after the delivery, M.M. stopped communicating with others and was not seen alive again.

Two days later, Amherst police responded to the residence after receiving a 911 call from the mother of another individual, identified as B.Y. Officers found M.M. and B.Y. deceased and in close proximity to one another near a dining room table.

The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that both deaths were caused by acute intoxication involving fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol.

Crule was on probation at the time for a 2022 felony drug conviction in Erie County, according to prosecutors.

Crule pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to distribution of fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million.

His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2026, before Judge Arcara.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Amherst Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan K. Glaberson is prosecuting the case.