Drug dealer who offered plenty of opportunity to his best salesmen, but who meted out discipline at the point of a gun, gets 10 years in federal prison

A federal judge last week sentenced Mujab "Big Homie" Mubarak to ten years in federal prison after he admitted he ran a fentanyl and heroin ring in the Boston area.

US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs agreed to the sentence, worked out by the US Attorney's office and Mubarak's attorney as part of a March plea deal on charges of conspiring to distribute and possess to distribute heroin and fentanyl and use and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime. In addition to the prison time, he agreed to give up roughly $523,000 in assets: $360,000 in cash, two motorcycles, a truck and a number of luxury watches.

Mubarak, 50, lived in Everett but grew up in Dorchester, where he still had ties - his phone was registered at his Dorchester girlfriend's address, according to an affidavit by an FBI agent on the case.

In 2017 and 2018, a "cooperating witness" made 25 purchases of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine from Mubarak's underlings, according to the affidavit.

In surveillance recordings, the affidavit states, Mubarak was captured explaining his business philosophy - how he'd save by buying drugs outright, rather than on consigmment and how he'd give his employees ample opportunity to score heavy profits on the drugs he'd obtain for them. But he also expressed frustration at lazy drug pushers - whom he accused of not doing their best to always be closing. And he shot one underling in the back after accusing him of stealing money obtained on a trip to the West Coast, refusing to believe his story that he'd been detained and searched at Logan - the affidavit states that did, in fact, happen - because the man didn't have a receipt from the agents who seized the money.

That shooting helped lead to Mubarak's downfall, because it helped convince the person who would make all the undercover buys contact the FBI, the US Attorney's office says in a sentencing memo to Burroughs, in which it said ten years would be enough time to both punish Mubarak and send a message as to how seriously it takes going after drug dealers.

This was an extremely profitable DTO. The Defendant obtained high quality and purity drugs that he provided to subordinates. Those subordinates could adulterate or cut the drugs significantly and still charge a considerable premium due to the purity of the product being provided by the Defendant. As the Defendant claimed, everyone up and down could "eat" due to the purity of the drugs. For his part, the Defendant acquired assets, vehicles, watches, and luxury goods, and also stockpiled cash over the course of years. A number of these assets are being forfeited as part of this Plea Agreement.

This was also serious organization that armed itself with firearms. A loaded firearm was recovered from the Defendant's truck. Ammo was recovered in his residence. A firearm was purchased from a subordinate during the investigation. And most significantly, there is sufficient evidence to hold the Defendant accountable at sentencing for shooting a subordinate who had drugs seized from him at the airport. This violent drug organization and the Defendant's leadership of it merit a significant sentence.

In his own sentencing memorandum, Mubarak's attorney urged Burroughs not to sentence his client to more than ten years.

Mr. Mubarak was born in Boston and grew up in Dorchester. He was raised there alongside his siblings by their parents. Mr. Mubarak had loving and supportive parents who provided for him and his siblings. He had a strong relationship with his parents throughout his life. Mr. Mubarak maintains regular contact with his mother. Unfortunately, Mr. Mubarak’s father passed away last year while he was incarcerated due to complications of COVID-19 and cancer. Mr. Mubarak has also forged close relationships with his three sisters, all of whom now live out of state but still keep in touch with him. His oldest sister described Mr. Mubarak as someone who is always there for his family and does his best to provide for them. She also noted that he is a dedicated father who she hopes will get a second chance at life when this case is behind him.

Mr. Mubarak is the proud father of four children. His children are one of the greatest sources of joy in his life. They remain supportive of him despite his current circumstances. He looks forward to being able to spend more time with them when he is released from custody. Mr. Mubarak especially wishes to spend time with his grandchild, who is now six years old, when he concludes his sentence. Mr. Mubarak will fortunately have the love and support of his family to help him reintegrate into the community following his imprisonment.

Mr. Mubarak acknowledges that he has had a history of substance abuse issues throughout his life. This included frequent use of alcohol and prescription medication up to the time of his arrest. Substance use negatively impacted Mr. Mubarak throughout his life, oftentimes making it difficult for him to attend work due to withdrawal symptoms. He recognizes that in order to live a healthy and fulfilling life, he needs to address his substance use problems. Mr. Mubarak, who has never undergone substance abuse treatment, has expressed interest in obtaining counseling while in federal custody. He has also indicated he would like to participate in the Residential Drug Abuse Program, which probation states he is an appropriate candidate for.