Former Rhode Island resident sentenced to 15 years in prison for massive international drug smuggling attempt

Seattle -A 69-year-old former resident of Rhode Island, Texas, and Chicago, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle for three federal felonies connected to his 2021 scheme to smuggle duffle bags full of drugs across the strait bordering Washington State and Canada via watercraft, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. John Michael Sherwood was convicted in April 2026 following a six-day trial of Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute and conspiracy to commit international money laundering. At the sentencing hearing Judge Richard A. Jones said, "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."

"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. "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."

"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. "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."

At the trial, testimony and evidence revealed that Sherwood had brought approximately 300 pounds 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. But the smuggling attempts failed.

Describing the role Sherwood and his coconspirators played in the drug trade, Assistant United States Attorney Vince Lombardi told the jurors, they were the transporters. "They are the FedEx or the UPS of the drug trafficking crew," Lombardi said in closing arguments.

On April 7, 2021, a family on a beach near Port Angeles, Washington found a partially submerged duffel bag on the beach. The family alerted law enforcement who found more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine inside the bag, as well as two pounds of fentanyl powder. Close in time, a different beachcomber discovered a partially submerged and deflated Zodiac-style raft on the beach and noted a U-Haul van coming and going from the beach area. Just days later, on April 11, 2021, a different beach walker reported another find - seven more duffel bags stashed under a bridge just up from the beach. These bags contained 252 pounds of methamphetamine. The estimated wholesale value of the drugs in Canada was about $1.5 million.

The FBI was able to trace the duffel bags to Walmart and pinpointed the sale. Sherwood used his debit card to purchase the bags and was caught on surveillance making the purchases. Other evidence such as U-Haul rental records, motel registration, and storage locker records linked Sherwood to the smuggling attempt. Phone records revealed his communication with a coconspirator in Canada about the attempt to smuggle the drugs into Canada via the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

This is the second time a jury has convicted Sherwood for these crimes. 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.

The conviction is the result of an extensive investigation by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol and the Border Patrol Air and Marine Unit, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET) including the Clallam County Sheriff's Office and the Sequim Police Department. The Kootenai County (Idaho) Sheriff's Office, the Montana Highway Patrol and the Livingston Montana Police Department also assisted with the investigation.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. HSTF Seattle comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), The United States Marshals Service (USMS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the United States Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vince Lombardi and Sean H. Waite.