Windsor Drug Dealer Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Prison After One of City’s Largest Fentanyl Seizures
A Windsor man has been sentenced to 12.5 years in prison after being caught with more than one kilogram of fentanyl in what authorities described as one of the largest fentanyl seizures in the city’s history.
John Jason Solinski, 55, pleaded guilty to one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking more than one kilogram of fentanyl. The sentence was handed down Monday by Supreme Court Justice Paul Howard at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in downtown Windsor.
What Police Found
The case stemmed from an investigation by the Windsor Police Drug and Weapons Unit in May 2024. Officers searched Solinski’s apartment in the 1100 block of Erie Street West, where they discovered a safe containing 1,021 grams of fentanyl and 202.4 grams of crystal methamphetamine, along with more than $10,000 in cash.
At the time of his arrest on May 15, 2024, Solinski was also found carrying 3.3 grams of crystal meth, 1.3 grams of crack cocaine, and 13.6 grams of fentanyl, according to the agreed statement of facts presented at a sentencing hearing in February.
Judge Condemns Fentanyl Trafficking
During sentencing, Justice Howard delivered a sharp condemnation of fentanyl trafficking, calling it “a crime that kills often and indiscriminately” and one “motivated by greed and a callous disregard for the untold heartache and suffering it leaves in its wake.”
The judge noted that fentanyl — a synthetic opioid many times more powerful than heroin — can be fatal at a dose of just two milligrams, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Aggravating and Mitigating Factors
Justice Howard identified the “sheer amount of fentanyl” as a significant aggravating factor and said Solinski’s moral culpability was “quite high” because he was not a fentanyl user himself. The judge gave “no weight” to Solinski’s claim that he was motivated by a desire to help friends by selling what he believed to be a safer alternative to street drugs.
“In my opinion, that doesn’t diminish his moral culpability here,” Howard said.
However, the judge also acknowledged several mitigating factors, including Solinski’s guilty plea, his difficult upbringing, and the “really positive steps” he had taken to change the direction of his life. While incarcerated, Solinski completed extensive programming, accepted a position in the Southwest Detention Center’s kitchen department, and demonstrated satisfactory institutional behavior with no signs of misconduct, sanctions, or violence.
“In my view, this is not a case where an offender promises the court that he will change his life at some point in the future,” Howard said. “In this case, Mr. Solinski comes to court having already taken some very positive and concrete steps toward self-improvement and better decision-making.”
The judge also noted that there was no evidence Solinski was involved in a sophisticated operation or had taken a leading role in the drug trade.
Sentence Falls Below Crown’s Request
At the February sentencing hearing, the Crown had sought a 13-year sentence, while the defense argued for 10 years. The judge’s 12.5-year sentence fell between those two positions.
Justice Howard noted that the range of sentences for large-scale fentanyl operations is “in the high single digits and low double digits,” but said sentencing judges “should feel entitled” to impose harsher sentences — up to life in prison — in particularly aggravating circumstances.
Defense Attorney Responds
Solinski’s attorney, Shane Miles, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse after the sentencing. “The amount of fentanyl in this case exceeded any amounts previously known in our community,” Miles told the Windsor Star. “The verdict certainly could have been well above what we agreed to in terms of the range over which we argued.”
Miles said the sentence being less than the 13 years requested by the Crown “seems to be a recognition of the work that Mr. Solinski has done (and) a recognition by Judge Howard, appropriately, that he is not a high-level trafficker.”
Time Remaining to Serve
With the equivalent of 1,141 days of pre-sentence credit and an additional 45 days credited for harsh prison conditions, Solinski has just over nine years left to serve on his sentence.
