Detroit Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Crimes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Rafael Cee-Erwin Solomon, also known as “Rip,” 44, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced on October 9, 2025, to 10 years and one month in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for three counts of distribution of fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Solomon sold a quantity of fentanyl in Dunbar on March 10, 2025, and quantities of fentanyl in St. Albans on March 24, 2025, and March 27, 2025.

Solomon has a prior conviction for conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, a quantity of cocaine, and a quantity of oxymorphone in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 8, 2012. Solomon’s criminal history also includes prior convictions for assault and battery-domestic violence, felonious assault, felonious assault on a police officer, assault with a dangerous weapon, malicious destruction of property, and arson.

Solomon is among 16 individuals indicted as the result of a federal investigation on charges alleging they participated in the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area between June 2024 and May 2025.  Five defendants in the main indictment pleaded guilty. Solomon is among four defendants who pleaded guilty in separate cases that resulted from the investigation. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.

This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-77.

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