A US man has been convicted after his attempts to smuggle drugs to Vancouver Island was foiled.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, 67-year-old John Michael Sherwood has been convicted of federal drug trafficking and money laundering charges.
The verdict, delivered on July 26th, by a Seattle jury, wraps up a significant drug smuggling investigation spanning several years.
Sherwood, a former resident of Rhode Island, Texas, and Chicago, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering.
The case revolved around his plan to ferry large amounts of drugs from southern California to Vancouver Island, using a jet ski and an inflatable raft.
The scheme unraveled on April 7th, 2021, when a family stumbled upon a partially submerged duffel bag on a beach near Port Angeles, Washington.
Inside were over 50 pounds of methamphetamine and two pounds of fentanyl powder.
A few days later, more drugs were discovered, including seven duffel bags containing 342 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at about $1.5 million in Canada.
The FBI and other agencies tracked the drug haul back to Sherwood through various pieces of evidence, including Walmart receipts, surveillance footage, and U-Haul rental records.
His phone records also linked him to a Canadian contact involved in the smuggling plot.
The investigation was a joint effort involving the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations , US Border Patrol, RCMP, and several local law enforcement agencies.
Sherwood is set to be sentenced on October 29th.
