SEATTLE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A man been convicted of attempting to smuggle drugs from the US to Canada on a jet ski.

US Attorney for Western Washington Tessa Gorman says that the man, 67-year-old John Sherwood, was found guilty on three federal charges Friday.

Sherwood’s scheme came to light after a family found a partially submerged duffel bag on a Port Angeles beach in April 2021.

Police recovered the bag and found over 50 lbs. of methamphetamine and two lbs. of fentanyl powder.

Four days later, another person located 7 more duffel bags stashed under a nearby bridge. Those bags contained nearly 350 lbs. of meth.

Surveillance footage found that Sherwood had purchased the duffel bags and made arrangements to bring the drugs across the Strait of Juan de Fuca into Canada via Vancouver Island. In addition to the jet ski, a raft purchased by Sherwood was found partially deflated and submerged on a Port Angeles beach around the same time the drugs were discovered.

Sentencing has been set for October 29.