Progreso mayor fired by school district after drug arrest

PROGRESO, TEXAS (ValleyCentral) — The Progreso Independent School District fired Mayor Gerardo “Jerry” Alanis on Monday after he was accused of participating in a scheme to store drugs on campus.

Alanis worked for the Progreso ISD Technology Department and coached the boys soccer team at Progreso High School.

Federal agents, however, believe Alanis also participated in a scheme to store drugs at Dorothy Thompson Middle School.

“He was terminated pursuant to board policy,” said attorney Eden Ramirez of O’Hanlon Demerath & Castillo, a law firm that represents Progreso ISD.

Alanis graduated from Progreso High School on May 27, 2011, according to documents released under the Texas Public Information Act. Three days later, he applied for a job with the school district.

While he lacked experience — at the time, Alanis worked at American Eagle — his resume included impressive references.

Alanis listed Jose Guadalupe Vela Jr., the director of Maintenance and Transportation at Progreso ISD, as a “friend.”

Jose Vela and his sons, Progreso Mayor Omar L. Vela and Progreso school board President Michael R. Vela, dominated local politics.

Alanis got the job.

In 2013, though, a federal grand jury indicted Jose Vela, Omar Vela and Michael Vela on bribery and kickback charges.

Alanis and his brothers started jockeying for power.

His brothers, Francisco “Frank” Alanis and Alejandro “Alex” Alanis, joined the school board. Jerry Alanis became the mayor.

Frank Alanis and Alex Alanis, who couldn’t work for the school district, found jobs at City Hall. Jerry Alanis, meanwhile, remained at Progreso ISD.

Questions about Frank Alanis and Jerry Alanis surfaced in 2020, when Border Patrol caught a former Progreso ISD bus driver with about 30 pounds of cocaine.

After his arrest, the former bus driver pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government.

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, worked the case with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

The case brought them back to Progreso in October 2023, when Homeland Security Investigations arrested Frank Alanis and searched a home owned by his mother, Maria De La Luz Alanis.

Agents found more than $722,000 stashed in three safes on her property, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Pablo Barrera said Thursday, when he testified in federal court.

Frank Alanis pleaded not guilty, refused to resign from the school board and remains employed by the city of Progreso.

Agents also searched the building where Jerry Alanis worked.

During the investigation, “cooperating defendants” had told agents that drugs had been stored and packaged in the building.

“The actual room where the narcotics were being stored was the actual IT room where Mr. Gerardo Alanis worked out of,” Barrera said.

Three agents searched the building. They didn’t 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.

Agents found boxes in the room that appeared identical to boxes described by a source.

“One of the sources stated that he, himself, was inside that IT building repackaging cocaine,” Barrera said.

Jerry Alanis placed students in danger, Barrera said, by storing drugs on campus.

“I personally believe — my opinion — he was or has been a danger to the community,” Barrera said. “Especially those students at the school.”

Homeland Security Investigations arrested Jerry Alanis on March 18. He remained employed by Progreso ISD until Monday.

Concerned, a standing-room-only crowd packed the Progreso school board meeting on Monday afternoon.

“I’m here today because I want accountability. I want transparency,” said Janie Sarmiento, 51, of Progreso, who served on the school board from 1998 to 2001. “I think, as taxpayers, we deserve to know what is going on. What is going to happen.”

During public comment, Sarmiento called the situation disgraceful and demanded the school board take action.

“Please stand up for what’s right,” Sarmiento said.

After the board meeting, Alex Alanis, who isn’t accused of any wrongdoing, called the criminal charges against his brothers “unfortunate.”

“But as a board we have to be strong,” Alex Alanis said. “And we have to take the decisions that we have to make.”

Asked if his brothers should resign from their positions, Alex Alanis walked away.

“That’s all,” Alex Alanis said. “Thank you very much.”