West Covina : Prison Term in Arms Case

A West Covina man is scheduled to begin serving a 27-month prison term next week for using false identification to purchase handguns for illegal export to his native Philippines, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Emmanuel Moreno Dela, 41, pleaded guilty in April to 15 counts of using false California driver’s licenses to purchase more than 63 handguns over the past three years, according to Assistant U.S. Atty. Michael R. Davis. The licenses were obtained with forged Philippine documents, Davis said.

Dela, who became a U.S. citizen in 1979, allegedly told an undercover agent from the U.S. Customs Service that he was interested in ordering more than $650,000 in military arms--including Uzis, grenade launchers and a Stinger missile--for export to the Philippines. Although no arms-smuggling charges were filed against Dela, the investigation uncovered evidence that Dela was using false identification to buy firearms at various Los Angeles-area gun shops.