Progreso school board president charged with drug trafficking

The Progeso school district’s board president and that municipality’s assistant city manager is in custody on federal drug trafficking charges.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said authorities arrested Francisco Javier Alanis, 40, on Friday.

He is charged in a three-count superseding indictment issued on Oct. 3 with charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

“From January 2020 to March 20, 2022, Alanis allegedly conspired with Jose Rosbel Salas and others to possess with intent to distribute … mainly cocaine,” a news release stated.

Salas, 42, of Weslaco, has already pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Also charged are David Gomez Ramos, 34, Gregorio Salinas, 52, both of Mercedes, and 48-year-old Santa Rosa resident Juan Pablo Serrata, according to the news release.

They are all in custody.

Federal court records indicate two other men are also charged in the case: Ralph Lozano and Eulalio Sierra.

Sierra has pleaded guilty and was previously sentenced to ten years in prison.

The latest superseding indictment is not yet available in online federal court records.

However, the last superseding indictment from May lists three separate drug smuggling events where approximately 128 pounds of cocaine was smuggled.

Alanis is scheduled to make his first appearance Monday in Brownsville federal court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya.