Texas mayor who used school building to store cocaine sentenced to nearly four years in prison

Progreso, Texas – The former mayor of Progreso, Texas, Gerardo Alanis, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy that involved smuggling cocaine into the United States and distributing it across multiple states. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., also includes a $15,000 fine and three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Alanis, who pleaded guilty on February 25, was found to have played a role in a broader conspiracy that operated between 2020 and 2022. According to court documents and testimony, the group smuggled kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the United States, repackaged the drugs, and concealed them within secret compartments of 18-wheelers before transporting them to states like Illinois, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

What shocked officials most was the use of a school building as part of the drug operation. During sentencing, additional evidence was presented indicating that the group had used a school to store and repackage the cocaine. The judge cited this fact as an aggravating element in determining the final sentence.

“It is unthinkable that a public official would allow a school of all places to be used as a storehouse for cocaine. The facts of this case demonstrate how the drug trade affects all facets of a community, not just law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas is committed to ensuring safe schools and safe streets, and part of that goal is the total elimination of drug trafficking organizations operating within our area of operations.”

Multiple Sentences Issued in the Cocaine Distribution Scheme

Alanis is not the only one to face justice in connection with the conspiracy. Several other individuals involved in the trafficking network have already received prison sentences:

• Francisco Alanis, 42, from Weslaco, was sentenced to 150 months in prison.

• Eulalio Sierra, 51, from Los Indios, received 120 months.

• Jose Salas, 43, from Weslaco, was sentenced to 47 months.

• Ralph Lozano, 39, from Houston, received time served.

• David Gomez-Ramos, 36, from Mercedes, will serve 139 months.

• Juan Pablo Serrata, 50, from Santa Rosa, received a 70-month term.

• Gregorio Salinas, 54, also from Mercedes, was sentenced to 37 months.

Gomez-Ramos, Serrata, and Salinas are not U.S. citizens and are expected to be removed from the country following their incarceration.

While Alanis has been allowed to remain on bond for now, he will be required to surrender voluntarily to begin serving his sentence in the near future.

Multi-Agency Task Force Behind the Investigation

The investigation was led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force, U.S. Border Patrol, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Rangers. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra Andrade.

This case is part of a larger effort under the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a federal initiative that aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most dangerous criminal organizations threatening the U.S. homeland. The OCDETF program brings together prosecutors, intelligence professionals, and multiple law enforcement agencies in a collaborative effort to combat organized drug crime.

The Department of Justice’s OCDETF program continues to focus on high-level targets and seeks to break the infrastructure that allows such criminal enterprises to operate.

With this latest sentencing, federal authorities reaffirm their commitment to uprooting corruption and eliminating criminal operations that threaten communities across the border and beyond.