An Atlanta man whose 10-year fentanyl sentence was commuted by former President Joe Biden is back in federal custody, accused of trafficking fentanyl, heroin and cocaine less than two years later.
Federal prosecutors announced Aug. 13 that Walter Lee Muhammad, 46, faces a new charge of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Drug Enforcement Administration agents allegedly saw Muhammad loading bags of suspected drugs into a BMW in Atlanta on August 5th before following him to Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office stopped the vehicle after a K-9 allegedly alerted them to narcotics. Authorities said they found approximately 29 kilograms of suspected cocaine. Agents searched Muhammad’s Midtown Atlanta apartment the next day and allegedly recovered two kilograms of suspected fentanyl and seven kilograms of suspected heroin. A southwest Atlanta property search produced three firearms, including a stolen pistol.
Muhammad’s criminal history includes a 1999 cocaine conspiracy conviction, a 2010 marijuana conspiracy conviction, and a 2020 conviction for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. He received a 10-year federal sentence in the 2020 case.
Biden commuted Muhammad’s sentence Dec. 12, 2024, as part of a mass clemency action covering 1,499 people. The White House said recipients had been placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and had successfully reintegrated into their families and communities. Official clemency records list Muhammad’s conviction in the Central District of California.
U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg called Muhammad a “serial drug trafficker” who allegedly returned to dealing dangerous drugs after receiving an “extraordinary gift” of clemency. A commutation reduces punishment but does not erase a conviction.
Muhammad remains detained by the U.S. Marshals Service and is expected to appear later in the Northern District of Georgia. The criminal complaint contains allegations, and prosecutors must prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
