DEMING – A 19-year-old Deming man is facing federal charges in two separate cases, accused of selling cocaine and a modified firearm capable of automatic fire to an undercover officer, and later fleeing from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint west of Las Cruces during a high-speed chase.
According to Organ Mountain News, court documents show that on February 11, an undercover agent purchased cocaine from Gerald Anthony Lopez. During that transaction, Lopez allegedly displayed a firearm equipped with an extended magazine and a machine gun conversion device. He offered to sell the weapon for $1,300 with the device or $1,000 without, claiming he could provide additional weapons, conversion devices, and narcotics.
On February 20, Lopez reportedly met with the agent again, this time selling both cocaine and the modified firearm for $1,300. He allegedly demonstrated the conversion device and confirmed the extended magazine was loaded with 30 rounds.
Lopez has been charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a machine gun, possession of an unregistered machine gun, and possession of a firearm without a serial number. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
In a separate case, Lopez is accused of fleeing from an immigration checkpoint on May 6. Border Patrol agents say Lopez was encountered at the Interstate 10 checkpoint west of Las Cruces, where agents detected the odor of cannabis. After initially consenting to a canine inspection, Lopez allegedly sped away from the secondary inspection area.
Agents notified nearby units, and Lopez was eventually stopped on Highway 549 near Ventura Road by Border Patrol agents from Deming. In that case, he faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
The firearms case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with support from the New Mexico State Police. The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector is handling the immigration-related charges. Both cases are being prosecuted by the Las Cruces Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.
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