The recent arrest of a local school board president in South Texas on drug trafficking charges highlights the pervasive corruption in the region. The arrest also illustrates the influence that Mexican drug cartels continue to have in Texas.
Late last week, federal authorities arrested Francisco Javier “Frank” Alaniz on drug conspiracy charges from a criminal indictment alleging that he and several other men worked to move and distribute large quantities of cocaine. Alaniz is Progreso Independent School District’s school board president and the City of Progreso’s assistant city manager. His brother Jerry Alaniz, the mayor of Progreso, has not been named in the federal drug trafficking indictment.
This week, Alaniz went before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Brownsville who informed him of the charges against him that alleges the trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine during a conspiracy that ran for over two years.
Alaniz made local headlines earlier this year when CBS4, a local TV station aired a series of videos during a controversial arrest that started when the politician crossed into Texas from Mexico with an open alcohol container and was under the influence while driving a sedan.
Alaniz became aggressive with authorities who detained him. Soon after, his brother Jerry arrived at the port of entry and confronted authorities over his brother’s detention.
Reports indicate a Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Deputy was going to arrest them on resisting arrest and DWI charges. However, the case was bumped down by higher-ups to a Public Intoxication charge. Both men were released with a citation.
As the two brothers were being released, Frank Alaniz flashed wads of cash and bragged to authorities about his $20,000 Rolex. A CBP officer responded that he had seen the same watch at a local flea market, the story by Hendricks revealed.
The Alaniz brothers are part of a group of relatives and political allies who have gained control of the small border town. The rise to power of Alaniz and his group came years after the FBI arrested several members of another family named Vela, who in 2014 had control of the city and the school board at the time. As Breitbart Texas reported at the time, the Vela family used their positions at the school board and the city hall to collect numerous bribes. Federal prosecutors convicted several members of that family on various bribery charges at the time.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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