An Ontario Superior Court justice has sentenced Mitchell McFadden-Webbe to a global prison term of eight years following a series of illegal transactions involving handguns and significant quantities of cocaine1. The sentencing, which took place on December 17, 2025, concluded a legal process that began when McFadden-Webbe entered guilty pleas in August of the same year. The charges included transferring prohibited firearms, trafficking in Schedule I substances, and possessing loaded restricted weapons.
The investigation into McFadden-Webbe’s activities spanned several months between late 2022 and early 2023. During this period, he engaged in multiple transactions with an undercover police officer. These interactions began on October 7, 2022, with the sale of a small amount of powder cocaine. As the months progressed, the volume of the illegal trade increased significantly. Subsequent transactions involved 28.02 grams, 124.78 grams, and eventually 250.12 grams of the drug.
In addition to the narcotics sales, the undercover operation documented the trafficking of several lethal weapons. In December 2022, McFadden-Webbe sold a 9 mm handgun to the officer. This was followed in February 2023 by the sale of a .40 calibre Smith & Wesson handgun. The largest single transfer occurred on March 31, 2023, when McFadden-Webbe delivered five separate handguns to the undercover operative, including models from Beretta, Smith & Wesson, and Taurus.
The investigation culminated on May 4, 2023, when police executed search warrants at the residence where McFadden-Webbe was living with his grandmother. During the search, authorities located two additional 9 mm semi-automatic handguns. They also seized 250 grams of cocaine and a variety of prescription opioids, including 132 grams of hydromorphone and 12.28 grams of oxycodone. These findings led to further charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Mitchell McFadden-Webbe was 27 years old at the time the offences began and is now 29. He had no prior criminal record before these events. During the sentencing hearing, the court examined his personal history to understand the factors that may have influenced his path toward criminal activity. McFadden-Webbe was born in Canada and placed in foster care at birth before being adopted at the age of four. His adoptive parents reported that he struggled with developmental milestones and behavioral concerns from a young age.
The court heard evidence that McFadden-Webbe’s biological mother had consumed alcohol and cocaine during her pregnancy. While a formal diagnosis was not confirmed in the presentence report, his legal counsel suggested that his history of impulsivity and learning difficulties was consistent with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. These cognitive challenges were compounded by early experiences of instability. After his adoptive parents separated when he was ten, he eventually had to leave the family home during his late teens, spending time in group homes and transitional housing before moving in with his grandmother.
Issues of identity and systemic racism also played a role in his upbringing. As a Black man growing up in predominantly white communities like Stouffville and Richmond Hill, McFadden-Webbe experienced racism within the school system and the broader community. The court noted that he and his brother were removed from one school in the fifth grade due to the treatment they received from both students and teachers. These experiences were cited as part of the social context surrounding his development and eventual involvement in the justice system.
Substance abuse was another significant factor in McFadden-Webbe’s life, beginning with marijuana use at age 12 and progressing to harder substances in his teens. He has a history of multiple overdoses, which underscored the depth of his addiction. However, the court also noted his efforts toward rehabilitation. Since being taken into custody, he has attended Alcoholics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous meetings, reporting several months of sobriety. He also pursued education while incarcerated, completing a course in business and accounting.
The sentencing judge, Justice M. Forestell, had to balance several competing legal principles. The Crown argued that given the number of firearms and the amount of drugs involved, a total sentence of 12 to 13 years was appropriate. The defense, citing McFadden-Webbe’s lack of a criminal record and his rehabilitative efforts, argued for a sentence between six and seven years.
Justice Forestell emphasized that deterrence and denunciation are the primary objectives when dealing with firearms and cocaine trafficking. The court noted that illegal firearms are frequently used in violent crimes with devastating consequences for society. However, the judge also had to apply the principle of parity, ensuring the sentence was consistent with those given to similar offenders, and the principle of totality, which ensures that a combined sentence for multiple crimes is not pointlessly harsh.
A specific consideration in this case was the treatment of a co-accused, Brandon Desjarlais, who had supplied McFadden-Webbe with the firearms. Desjarlais had received a global sentence of 7.5 years. While Desjarlais had a prior criminal record, he was also entitled to consideration of Gladue factors as an Indigenous person. Justice Forestell determined that McFadden-Webbe’s sentence should reflect his role while also acknowledging his status as a first-time offender with significant rehabilitative potential.
The court also took into account the exceptionally harsh conditions McFadden-Webbe faced during his 959 days in presentence custody. During this time, the detention centers experienced frequent lockdowns and overcrowding, requiring him to be triple-bunked. Both the Crown and the defense agreed that these conditions warranted a six-month reduction in the overall sentence. Despite these challenges, McFadden-Webbe completed 14 workshops and programs while waiting for his case to be resolved.
In the final analysis, Justice Forestell imposed a global sentence of eight years. To achieve this total, the judge ordered that most of the sentences for individual counts be served concurrently. For example, the one-year sentence for the first cocaine sale and the three-year sentences for various firearm transfers will run at the same time. The primary exception was a 4.5-year sentence for the transfer of five firearms on March 31, 2023, which was ordered to be served consecutively to the other counts.
After accounting for the time already served, the remaining time McFadden-Webbe must spend in prison is approximately four years and 21 days. The court also issued a lifetime weapons prohibition and ordered him to provide a DNA sample for the national database. His father, who works in the production industry, has expressed a commitment to helping him find employment upon his eventual release.
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