An American man has been convicted of charges relating to an attempt to smuggle $7 million of fentanyl and methamphetamines in duffel bags into Canada on a jet ski in April 2021.
John Michael Sherwood, 67, worked alongside a Canadian co-conspirator to bring more than 400 pounds of drugs from California to Port Angeles, Washington, according to a 2022 press statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
Officials said he planned to use a jet ski and inflatable raft to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca to deliver the drugs to another individual on Vancouver Island.
After three hours of deliberation, a jury convicted Sherwood of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering in Seattle, Washington on August 2.
Uncredited, U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Associated Press
A third individual, Erika A. Bocelle, from Rhode Island, was also accused of drug smuggling and is currently awaiting sentencing after she pleaded guilty, according to CTV News Vancouver.
During the trial, prosecutors said Sherwood made several attempts to smuggle the drugs from the U.S. to Canada, transporting them from southern California to the Olympic Peninsula. Duffels of drugs and a raft were then discovered by a family, a beachcomber, and another individual walking on a beach near Port Angeles.
The family camping on the beach found a duffel bag with more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine and two pounds of fentanyl powder in the water, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
The statement also said the other beachcomber alerted authorities after witnessing a U-Haul van driving to and from the beach and found a partially submerged Zodiac-style raft.
The third individual walking along the beach three days later reported finding seven duffel bags hidden underneath a bridge, containing 342 pounds of methamphetamine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington’s statement said the FBI traced a purchase of duffels, rental of the U-Haul, registration at a motel, and records from a storage locker to Sherwood.
American and Canadian law enforcement bodies including the FBI, Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police worked together when investigating the case.
Due to the quantity of drugs found, the U.S. Attorney’s Office press statement from 2022 said that the defendants faced minimum sentences of 10 years to life in prison.
Judge James L. Robart has scheduled Sherwood’s sentencing for October 29.
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