The defendant, Raymond Godreau, was convicted on 15 counts related to Fentanyl trafficking and forged prescriptions.
The scheme involved fraudulently obtaining Fentanyl patches using false patient identities, including his vulnerable mother, and then illicitly selling them for profit.
The Crown sought a sentence of 13 to 15 years, while the defence proposed 6 to 8 years, arguing for consistency with co-accused's sentences in R. v. Sinclair and R. v. Baks.
The court established a nine-year starting point for such offences, as implicitly affirmed by the Court of Appeal in related cases.
Finding a complete absence of mitigating factors and several aggravating factors, including exploitation of vulnerable individuals, trafficking in maximum strength Fentanyl, a prior drug trafficking record, and the commercial nature of the scheme, the court adjusted the sentence slightly upward.
Godreau was sentenced to ten years in a federal penitentiary, with a credit of 1460 days (four years) for time served, resulting in a remnant sentence of six years.
A lifetime weapons prohibition and an order to provide a DNA sample were also imposed.