A 69-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after his ambitious yet ultimately unsuccessful effort to transport hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to British Columbia.

John Michael Sherwood, previously based in Rhode Island, Texas, and Chicago, received his sentence on July 17 before U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones in Seattle. His conviction came in April after a six-day trial, during which a jury found him guilty on charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

The sentencing drew local attention from the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, a collaborative task force involving the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, Sequim Police, and Port Angeles Police.

Judge Jones remarked during the hearing that Sherwood projected the image of “a mad man desperate for money, willing to do anything,” noting that the operation’s scale could have inflicted serious harm on thousands if fully realized.

The scheme unraveled in early April 2021, beginning with a family walking their dog near Port Angeles who spotted a partially submerged duffel bag on West Twin Beach. Inside, authorities recovered over 50 pounds of methamphetamine and two pounds of fentanyl powder.

Around the same time, another observer spotted a deflated inflatable raft near the same stretch of shoreline and observed a U-Haul van repeatedly entering and exiting the area. Four days later, a different beachgoer uncovered seven additional duffel bags concealed beneath a nearby bridge—each packed with methamphetamine, bringing that group’s total to 252 pounds.

Prosecutors estimated the potential market value of the shipment in Canada at roughly $1.5 million.

OPNET investigators secured the initial finds and coordinated with federal partners, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol (with support from its Air and Marine Division), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Evidence presented at trial revealed Sherwood transported approximately 300 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly a kilogram of fentanyl powder from Southern California to the Olympic Peninsula. He attempted to move the drugs across the strait using a jet ski and a Zodiac-style inflatable raft, though both efforts faltered.

Digital footprints tied him to the operation: Walmart surveillance showed him purchasing dozens of duffel bags using his debit card, while U-Haul rentals, motel check-ins, and storage unit leases further corroborated his involvement. Phone logs indicated regular communication between Sherwood and a partner in Canada, coordinating delivery logistics and timing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Vince Lombardi emphasized during closing arguments that Sherwood and his associate functioned as the logistical backbone of the operation—effectively serving as “the FedEx or the UPS of the drug trafficking crew.”

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd stated that the eight bags recovered near Port Angeles represented only a portion of the defendant's trafficking operations. Evidence indicated the individual conducted multiple trips to the Washington-British Columbia border to meet with a coconspirator based in Canada.

Floyd noted that the defendant accumulated five federal felonies over a span of five decades, characterizing the 15-year sentence as a consequence of persistent criminal behavior.

The sentencing followed two trials. After an initial jury convicted the defendant, the prosecution team discovered and disclosed allegations of misconduct involving a government witness, prompting the case to be scheduled for a retrial before a different judge, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

A second jury returned a conviction in April 2026.

W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI's Seattle field office, said the family's discovery on the beach demonstrated the brazen nature of the smuggling plans, describing decades of criminal conduct that crossed state and international borders.

Herrington stated the defendant engaged in money laundering, perjury, and plotting against cooperating defendants in attempts to cover up his crimes.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office in Idaho, the Montana Highway Patrol, and the Livingston, Montana, police department also assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lombardi and Sean H. Waite prosecuted the case.