BURSTA 69-year-old U.S. man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to smuggle duffle bags full of drugs from Washington to Vancouver Island in 2021.
On July 17, John Michael Sherwood was handed the sentence following a six-day trial for felony counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
“The eight large duffel bags of methamphetamine found on the beach near Port Angeles are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this defendant’s drug smuggling,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd in a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office. “Evidence uncovered in the case show he made multiple drug runs to the Washington/British Columbia border to connect with his coconspirator in Canada. Over five decades, he racked up five federal felonies. This 15-year sentence is the result of his persistent and entrenched criminal behaviour.”
At the trial, testimony and evidence revealed that Sherwood had brought about 136-kilograms of methamphetamine and close to a kilogram of fentanyl powder up to the Olympic Peninsula from southern California. He was attempting to use a jet ski and inflatable raft to get the drugs across the strait to his contact on the coast of Vancouver Island.
On April 7, 2021, however, a family on a beach near Port Angeles found a partially submerged duffel bag on the beach. Police found more than 22 kilos of meth and nearly a kilogram of fentanyl in the bag. Just days later, another beach-goer found seven more duffel bags stashed under a bridge nearby.
The estimated wholesale value of the drugs in Canada was about $1.5 million, according to the U.S. Attorney.
Phone records discussed during the trial revealed his communication with a partner in Canada about the attempt to smuggle the drugs into Canada through the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
This is the second time a jury has convicted Sherwood of the charges. Following the first trial and conviction, the case team learned of and disclosed alleged misconduct on the part of a government witness, and the matter was set for a new trial in front of a different judge.
A family’s shocking discovery of drugs at the beach exemplified the brazenness of Mr. Sherwood’s multiple plans to smuggle huge quantities of drugs into Canada, part of a career of criminality spanning state lines, international borders, and several decades,” said W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office, in the release.