A Somerset County man has been convicted on multiple federal charges related to drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms, following an incident where he was found unresponsive in a vehicle on a New Jersey highway.
Malachi A. Muhammad, 50, of Somerset, was found guilty by a federal jury in Trenton after a one-week trial. The jury returned its verdict after fewer than two hours of deliberation. He was convicted on five charges: possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin, and cocaine; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
The charges stem from an incident on August 19, 2021, when officers from the Lawrence Township Police Department responded to calls about a vehicle stopped in the southbound lanes of Route 1 near the Quaker Bridge Mall. Officers found Muhammad alone and initially unresponsive in the driver’s seat. When they woke him, they noticed the handle of a handgun between his legs and took him into custody.
A search of the vehicle revealed 91 pills of methamphetamine, 468 wax folds containing a mix of fentanyl and heroin, five bags of cocaine, five firearms—including two semi-automatic rifles—and more than 150 rounds of ammunition.
Each of the three drug trafficking convictions carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. The firearms charge related to drug trafficking carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence, and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The charge of unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon carries up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Lawrence Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey A. Agnew and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Trenton.
Muhammad’s sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
