A request for medical help on New Year’s Eve took a wild turn in northwest Albuquerque. Police officers arrived at the home of 46-year-old Jeff Bramlett to assist him, but the situation quickly changed when they spotted what looked like hand grenades sitting in the living room.
Instead of just an ambulance, the call ended up bringing in the FBI’s bomb squad.
Agents found two devices in the house. One looked like a classic “pineapple” grenade, and the other resembled an M26 fragmentation grenade.
Both appeared to be fitted with functional military training fuzes. The authorities played it safe and seized the items for testing to see if they were actually dangerous or just harmless replicas.
READ: Unlucky Break: Hotel Manager’s Request Leads To 18-Year Sentence For Lakeland Dealer
A week later, on January 7, 2026, bomb technicians carefully took the devices apart. It turned out the danger was real. They discovered that one of the grenades was packed with granular black powder. To be sure, they performed a flame test, and the material caught fire, confirming it was a functional explosive device.
Bramlett is now facing serious legal trouble. He has been charged federally with possessing a firearm—specifically a destructive device—that was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
He could face up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted.
For now, he remains in custody while he waits for a trial date, which has not been set yet.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
