Federal prosecutors say a trafficker attempted to ferry nearly 300 pounds of meth and fentanyl across the Strait of Juan de Fuca using a jet ski and inflatable raft.
A career criminal who attempted to smuggle hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl from Washington state into Canada using a jet ski and inflatable raft has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
John Michael Sherwood, 69, a former resident of Rhode Island, Texas, and Chicago, was sentenced Wednesday in US District Court in Seattle after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
US District Judge Richard A. Jones sharply criticized Sherwood during sentencing. "What you did came across as a mad man desperate for money, willing to do anything. At the end of the day, what you were doing would cause tremendous harm to thousands of individuals."
According to prosecutors, Sherwood orchestrated an elaborate cross-border smuggling scheme in 2021 that relied on personal watercraft to move massive quantities of narcotics across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Olympic Peninsula to a contact waiting on Vancouver Island.
At trial, jurors heard evidence that Sherwood transported approximately 300 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly one kilogram of fentanyl powder from Southern California to Washington before attempting to ferry the drugs across the international border using a jet ski towing an inflatable Zodiac-style raft loaded with duffel bags of narcotics.
The plan never reached Canada. On April 7, 2021, a family walking along a beach near Port Angeles discovered a partially submerged duffel bag and contacted authorities. Investigators found more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine and two pounds of fentanyl powder inside.
Days later, another beachgoer found a deflated Zodiac raft washed ashore and reported seeing a U-Haul truck repeatedly visiting the area. Then, on April 11, a different beach walker discovered seven additional duffel bags hidden beneath a nearby bridge. Together, the bags contained another 252 pounds of methamphetamine. Federal authorities estimated the wholesale Canadian value of the drugs at roughly $1.5 million.
"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," First Assistant US Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said in a statement. "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 behavior."
FBI investigators pieced together the failed operation using surveillance footage, financial records, and digital evidence. Authorities traced the discarded duffel bags to a Walmart purchase where Sherwood used his debit card, and surveillance cameras captured him buying them. Investigators also linked him to the scheme through U-Haul rental records, motel registrations, storage locker records, and phone communications with a Canadian co-conspirator discussing the maritime drug transfer.
During closing arguments, Assistant US Attorney Vince Lombardi described Sherwood and his associates as the transportation network behind international narcotics trafficking. "They are the FedEx or the UPS of the drug trafficking crew."
The case marked Sherwood's second conviction on the charges. Prosecutors said that after his first conviction, they disclosed alleged misconduct involving a government witness, resulting in a new trial before a different judge. A second jury again found Sherwood guilty following a six-day trial earlier this year.
FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington said Sherwood's criminal conduct extended far beyond the failed jet ski operation. "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," Herrington said. "He was involved in money laundering, perjury, and plotting against cooperating defendants in a series of attempts to cover up his crimes. The FBI and our many federal, state, local, and international law enforcement partners are committed to holding subjects accountable and will continue to do so, especially those who are not deterred by the criminal justice system."
The investigation involved the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, US Border Patrol, Border Patrol Air and Marine Operations, the US Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, Clallam County Sheriff's Office, Sequim Police Department, and multiple law enforcement agencies in Idaho and Montana.
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