After drug arrests, Progreso elects new mayor

PROGRESO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Voters in Progreso elected a new mayor Saturday amid questions about whether drug smugglers had taken over the town.

Hugo Gamboa, a sergeant in the Texas Army National Guard, defeated City Councilman Raul Martinez on Saturday night.

“I have served my country. I’ve been deployed,” Gamboa said. “I felt this was the perfect opportunity to serve my community now.”

About 55% of voters supported Gamboa, according to preliminary results published by the Hidalgo County Elections Department. Nearly 45% backed Martinez.

"If that’s what the citizens want, that’s what it is,” Martinez said, adding that he respected the election results and wished the city well.

Gamboa campaigned with City Council candidate Sandra V. Estrada, an accounts payable clerk at IDEA Public Schools. Estrada defeated Dago Treviño, a dispatcher for a logistics company.

All four candidates wanted to make Progreso a better place, Treviño said, and make changes at City Hall.

“The two campaigns wanted the same thing. So, it’s good,” Treviño said. “We came out short. That’s fine. Now they have the opportunity to make it better, like what we wanted to do.”

The election started with questions about links between drug smugglers and local politicians — and ended the same way.

Homeland Security Investigations arrested former school board President Francisco “Frank” Alanis in October 2023.

Frank Alanis is charged with participating in a conspiracy that involved 88 pounds of cocaine.

Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, also searched a home owned by Frank’s mother. Agents found more than $722,000 in cash.

Frank Alanis pleaded not guilty and returned to work at City Hall, where he’s a top administrator.

Homeland Security Investigations arrested his brother, former Mayor Gerardo “Jerry” Alanis, in March.

Documents filed in the case link Frank Alanis and Jerry Alanis to a drug trafficking organization that smuggled cocaine from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston.

Informants told federal agents the drug trafficking organization had stored and packaged cocaine at Dorothy Thompson Middle School.

“The actual room where the narcotics were being stored was the actual IT room where Mr. Gerardo Alanis worked out of,” U.S. Border Patrol Agent Pablo Barrera testified during a hearing in March.

Agents did not find any drugs.

“But we did find two boxes of vacuum sealed bags used to repackage narcotics — commonly, very commonly used to repackage narcotics — inside the IT room,” Barrera said.

Jerry Alanis pleaded not guilty and resigned after his arrest.

Progreso scheduled a special election for June 15.

Several local politicians, including school board President Juan J. Ramos Jr., backed Martinez for mayor.

Pedro Lopez, a prominent businessman with a checkered past, also supported Martinez’s campaign.

Lopez allowed Martinez to use the 1015 Grocery Store, a convenience store on Farm-to-Market Road 1015, for campaign events.

Martinez and Treviño, the City Council candidate, filmed more than a dozen Facebook videos at the store. In the videos, they gave away a television, a coffee machine and other items.

“We just asked him if we could do it at his place,” Martinez said. “Since it’s a public place.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Lopez on Thursday morning.

“It was a surprise to me too,” Martinez said, adding that he did not know about Lopez’s alleged links to drug smuggling.

Lopez is charged with participating in a conspiracy that involved 194 pounds of cocaine. His attorney, Oscar Vega of McAllen, said Lopez plans to plead not guilty.

Gamboa, meanwhile, campaigned on bringing integrity and transparency back to City Hall.

Asked about Lopez’s arrest, Gamboa said he did not know the details and remained focused on his own campaign.

“I’m just trying to run a clean campaign,” Gamboa said. “And not really talk bad about my opponents.”

That single-minded focus paid off Saturday.

“I’m very excited,” Gamboa said. “And looking forward to making that positive change for the people.”