A Temple man has been arrested and charged with gun trafficking after investigators say a weapon he purchased turned up in the Dominican Republic.
Lewis DeLaCruz-Martinez, 35, of the 1300 block of Oak Street has been charged with the illegal sale or transfer of a firearm and making false statements to police.
According to the Berks County District Attorney’s Office:
Detectives with the district attorney office’s gun violence reduction task force conducted an investigation with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into an illegal straw purchase of a gun.
The investigation began in May when the ATF notified county detectives that a firearm that was purchased in Berks had been recovered in the Dominican Republic on Christmas Day 2025.
Federal tracing showed the gun had been legally purchased by DeLaCruz-Martinez 109 days prior to its recovery.
The investigation showed that DeLaCruz-Martinez bought the .380-caliber Glock pistol from a licensed firearms dealer in Mount Penn. The investigation further found that the gun was selected and paid for by another person and that DeLaCruz-Martinez knowingly lied when filling out federal and state paperwork required when he bought it.
After the sale, DeLaCruz never possessed or saw the gun again, the investigation showed.
DeLaCruz-Martinez surrendered to county detectives Friday and remained free following arraignment before District Judge Sandra L. Fegley.
A straw purchase occurs when an individual who is legally eligible to purchase a firearm does so on behalf of another person while falsely claiming to be the actual purchaser. Federal and state firearm purchase forms require buyers to certify, under penalty of law, that they are the true purchaser of the firearm. Providing false information on these forms is a criminal offense.
In a statement announcing DeLaCruz’s arrest, District Attorney John Adams stressed that straw purchases pose a significant public safety threat because they can place guns in the hands of individuals attempting to circumvent legal background checks.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact county detectives at 610-478-7171 or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Alert Berks County by calling 877-373-9913, using the ALERTBERKS mobile app or by texting ALERTBERKS followed by the tip to 847411.