Lancaster Drug Kingpin Accused of $5k Money Laundering Scheme

HARRISBURG – The grim reaper of drug trafficking, Dwayne Sherman, 47, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, faces a federal hammer after being accused by the feds of masterminding a massive cocaine distribution and money laundering conspiracy.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Sherman stands charged with one count of conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of blow from October 2015 to May 2018 across multiple states, including California. The court papers also paint a picture of seven separate counts of money laundering, with Sherman accused of siphoning off drug proceeds, totaling thousands, into his personal coffers.

This isn’t Sherman’s first brush with the legal system. In October 2015, he was already facing charges for sending drug-related cash to Mexico—a clear sign that the dealer had no intention of staying out of trouble.

The investigation that led to Sherman’s latest set of troubles was a joint operation involving the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Hawthorne (California) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio is leading the prosecution with a relentless determination to bring down the drug kingpin.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that unites law enforcement and communities to combat violent crime. The Department of Justice relaunched PSN in 2017 as a renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop effective strategies to reduce crime.

While indictments are merely allegations and the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty, Sherman faces serious charges with potentially devastating consequences if convicted. Under federal law, the sentence for drug trafficking could mean up to 40 years behind bars, not to mention a heavy fine and possible supervised release upon his release from prison.