Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 27-year-old Gainesville resident, Hassan Albert Muhammad Jr., is facing serious charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. Authorities have painted him as possibly the most significant molly distributor in the area.
The Gainesville-Alachua County Drug Task Force launched an investigation into Muhammad’s activities at the start of 2025. This probe was fueled by information from “multiple cooperating defendants,” who depicted Muhammad as the largest drug dealer they knew in Gainesville.
According to reports, Muhammad is accused of receiving substantial shipments of molly, a substituted cathinone, from China via mail. He allegedly uses Bitcoin to purchase these drugs and then distributes them to local dealers.
The Task Force executed search warrants on December 17, 2025, targeting a residence linked to Muhammad and his vehicle. They concluded that the residence served as a hub for drug distribution, while the vehicle was instrumental in transporting and distributing the substances. At the time of the search, Muhammad was on probation for a battery charge. He was arrested for violating probation on January 7 and subsequently charged with maintaining a drug dwelling on January 17.
Further investigation led detectives to obtain a search warrant for Muhammad’s phone. The device revealed messages dating back to July 2023 that discussed large molly transactions. These communications indicated that the drugs were being delivered to various addresses across Gainesville.
In February 2024, Customs and Border Protection intercepted a shipment from China that was shipped to one of the addresses in Muhammad’s messages with his supplier; the package reportedly contained over 5 kilograms of molly. A Gainesville Police Department detective reported that this was one of eight tracking numbers sent to Muhammad from one of his Chinese contacts as part of a 40-kilogram order, so the detective concluded that Muhammad received about 35 kilograms of molly from that shipment.
In June 2024, the supplier told Muhammad that one of the packages had been seized by law enforcement, and Muhammad reportedly expressed concern about ordering additional shipments if they weren’t going to be delivered.
Another package was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection in August 2024, shipped to one of the addresses shown in messages between Muhammad and his supplier. The tracking number also matched information in Muhammad’s messages. Over the next few days, Muhammad and his supplier reportedly discussed the package that was seized, and Muhammad reportedly said he was glad he had not ordered 20 kilograms “or it could have been a disaster.”
The detective estimated that Muhammad received about 254 kilograms of molly over about 2.5 years, and “these substances were trafficked throughout Gainesville.”
Muhammad has been charged with maintaining a drug dwelling, conspiracy to traffic drugs, trafficking phenethylamines, and money laundering over $300,000. He has two misdemeanor convictions (one violent) and was on probation when the search warrant was executed. Judge Adam Lee ordered him held without bail until the probation case is resolved, Judge Sean Brewer set bail at $250,000 on the drug dwelling charge, and Judge Jonathan Ramsey set bail at $4,000,000 on the trafficking and money laundering charges.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
