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A straw gun purchaser is someone who purchases a gun for someone who is prohibited by law from possessing one or for someone who does not want their name associated with the transaction, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Alexander Rodriguez, 21 of the 600 block of Wyncroft Lane, was stopped by police near his home in a gray 2004 Honda Accord on Sept. 13, 2022 around 12:48 a.m., according to the DA's release.
Rodriguez was arrested on an outstanding warrant, but officers also "observed a loaded Glock pistol in plain view in Rodriguez’s vehicle," and a "subsequent search warrant revealed 548 bags of fentanyl (approximately 16 grams)."
He was also charged with possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, persons not to possess a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, and possession of a firearm with an altered manufacturer’s number.
The gun was traced to a Lancaster County firearms dealer where it was sold to a Mount Joy man on July 12, 2022. It was also determined a LAR-15 .300 Blackout pistol was sold to the same man on August 30, 2022, according to the DA.
Video footage was later found by detectives showing Gavin Strube, 28, of the 400 block of S. Market St., arriving at the firearms dealer address with Rodriguez in Rodriguez’s car on August 30, 2022.
Strube completed the required Firearms Transaction Record and was seen getting "quantities of cash from Rodriguez’s vehicle on two separate occasions during the transaction," the DA says.
Additional video footage shows Rodriguez’s vehicle arriving "at Strube’s home before traveling to the gun dealer, Strube placing the firearm in the back seat of Rodriguez’s vehicle after the purchase, and Rodriguez’s vehicle returning to Strube’s home."
Strube has been charged with two counts each of making false statements in the purchase of a firearm and transferring a purchased firearm to an ineligible person, both third-degree felonies.
Rodriguez remains in Lancaster County Prison. Strube was released on $2,500 unsecured bail.
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