Deontray Watson of Dover was sentenced on Apr. 16 to 40 months in federal prison for drug dealing and possessing a firearm after multiple prior felony convictions. U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall handed down the sentence.
The case is significant due to Watson’s criminal history, which includes four previous gun convictions over the past ten years. According to court documents, Watson, age 24, had been released from state prison on a prior gun conviction in late February 2024. Less than a month later, law enforcement received information that he was again armed and involved in drug distribution.
Watson was arrested with an associate at a gas station where police found fentanyl, crack cocaine, and a loaded stolen handgun inside their vehicle. The firearm was discovered beneath the passenger seat on top of Watson’s wallet. He pleaded guilty to federal charges related to guns and drugs.
U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace said, “Deontray Watson has been an armed danger to Delaware since he was a teenager. That is why, after I became the U.S. Attorney for our District, I continued personally handling this case. The just sentence imposed by Judge Hall today is more than double the longest sentence Deontray Watson has previously served. It is my sincere hope that this is the punishment that finally gets through to Watson. I extend my thanks to our law enforcement partners at the ATF, the Dover Police Department, and Delaware Probation and Parole, all of whom did terrific work investigating this case.”
ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer said, “This sentence reflects ATF’s commitment to targeting armed drug traffickers who fuel violence in our communities. By removing individuals who combine illegal narcotics distribution with firearms, we directly reduce the threat of violence in our community and show those who bring guns into our neighborhoods that they will be held accountable.”
Further details about this case can be found on the website of the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware or by searching Case No. 1:25-cr-129 on PACER.
