Westborough Man's Arrest Unseal's Trafficking Indictment

WESTBOROUGH, MA — A Westborough man was arrested on Friday after officials said he was trafficking in contraband smokeless tobacco.

Muhammad Mushtaq Balaparaya, 58, was charged in an indictment unsealed on Friday with two counts of trafficking in contraband smokeless tobacco. According to the indictment, between December 2014 and October 2016, and again between July 2017 and April 2018, Balaparaya trafficked more than 500 units of contraband smokeless tobacco in violation of federal law.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000,\ and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.