Joseph W.M. Develles Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of Firearms and Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute

          SHAWN N. ANDERSON, Acting United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant JOSEPH WENDELL MONTON DEVELLES, age 24, was sentenced in District Court on June 13, 2017, to a 21-month term of imprisonment for Possession of Firearms by a Prohibited Person and Possession with Intent to Distribute Less than 50 Kilograms of Marijuana. The Court also ordered two years of supervised release and a mandatory $200 assessment fee. In addition, defendants convicted of a federal drug offense may no longer qualify for certain federal benefits.

          On October 31, 2016, DEVELLES pled guilty to an Information that charged Possession of Firearms by a Prohibited Person, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3), and Possession with Intent to Distribute Less than 50 Kilograms of Marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). The firearms offense was based on DEVELLES being an unlawful drug user at the time he possessed the weapons. During February 2016, officers from the Guam Police Department (GPD) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence in Astumbo, Dededo. Inside a bedroom, law enforcement found two five-gallon buckets that contained 2.4 pounds of marijuana. They also discovered a Glock .380 caliber pistol, a Marlin 270 Win. rifle, ammunition, and approximately $26,300 in U.S. currency. The money was proceeds from the sale of marijuana. DEVELLES had previously been convicted in the Superior Court of Guam for driving while intoxicated. Chief District Judge Tydingco-Gatewood noted that DEVELLES committed federal offenses while still on probation.

          The investigation was conducted by ATF and the GPD-Special Investigation Section. The case was prosecuted by Belinda Alcantara, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Guam.