Deundalas Gales, a 37-year-old Albuquerque man, has been sentenced to nearly 29 years in federal prison after a violent spree involving machinegun conversion devices and a cache of fentanyl and methamphetamine. The sentencing follows a series of chaotic events in July 2024 that began with a high-speed car crash and ended with the defendant attempting to burn down his own residence while wearing body armor.
A violent collision and a trail of evidence
The downfall of Gales began on July 6, 2024. Court documents reveal he was driving at a high rate of speed in Albuquerque when he crashed into another vehicle. Instead of fleeing or rendering aid, Gales stepped out of his car and opened fire. He used a handgun equipped with a machinegun conversion device to spray the other vehicle with roughly 25 rounds of ammunition.
The other driver survived the onslaught without being struck, though the vehicle was riddled with bullets. In his haste to escape the scene on foot, Gales left behind his wallet, personal belongings, and the firearm used in the attack. Even more incriminating was the cargo in his abandoned car, which included a stolen shotgun and 447.1 grams of methamphetamine with a purity level of 99%.
Police find fentanyl and firearms in burning apartment
The situation escalated a week later. On July 13, 2024, Albuquerque Police Department officers responded to reports of a man breaking into a neighbor’s apartment while simultaneously setting fire to his own. When officers arrived, they found Gales bleeding and wearing body armor, still clutching a loaded firearm magazine.
Once Gales was detained, the scale of his operation became clear. As officers entered his smoke-filled apartment to ensure no one else was trapped inside, they saw fentanyl pills and firearms in plain view. A subsequent search warrant yielded a amount of contraband:
- 892.7 net grams of methamphetamine
- 216.5 net grams of fentanyl
- Five firearms and a black powder revolver
- Approximately 500 rounds of ammunition and multiple magazines
The investigation didn’t stop at the front door. A search of Gales’ vehicle parked at the apartment uncovered an additional 204 grams of fentanyl, 112.8 net grams of methamphetamine, and five more firearms, including another machinegun conversion device.
The legal stakes of federal sentencing
Gales entered the courtroom as a previously convicted felon with a history of aggravated robbery, assault, and controlled substance possession. Under federal law, this status made his possession of any firearm or ammunition a crime, regardless of the drug trafficking charges.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to several charges: possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, unlawful possession of a machinegun, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Unlike state courts, there is no parole in the federal system. Gales will serve his time behind bars before becoming subject to five years of supervised release.
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The “So What?” of the Machinegun Switch
While some advocates for criminal justice reform argue that long federal sentences fail to address the root causes of addiction and crime, the specifics of this case—the body armor, the 99% pure meth, and the firing of approximately 25 rounds—provide a counter-argument for the necessity of incapacitation.
The prosecution was led by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, with the investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, and the Albuquerque Police Department.
Gales now faces nearly three decades of confinement, leaving behind a trail of scorched property and a community that narrowly avoided a tragedy on a July afternoon.
