Former Progreso City Council candidate pleads not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges

McALLEN, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — A former Progreso City Council candidate pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges Monday.

Dagoberto “Dago” Treviño, 45, of Progreso appeared in federal court Monday afternoon wearing jeans and a fishing shirt. With one hand cuffed to a chain around his waist, Treviño said he understood the charges and pleaded not guilty.

“Here in the United States, everybody that’s accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty,” said attorney Daniel J. Garcia of Rio Grande City, who represents Treviño. “And I’d just like to remind the community that he’s got rights here in this country.”

The investigation started in 2022, when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration received information about a trucker named Faustino Perez Luna, who allegedly worked for a drug trafficking organization.

Border Patrol stopped Perez on Nov. 13, 2022, when he attempted to pass through a checkpoint near Falfurrias.

Perez had a shaky hand and was “breathing heavy,” according to a criminal complaint filed against him.

Agents sent Perez to secondary inspection, where they discovered about 40 packages of cocaine hidden in pallets of produce.

In an initial interview, Perez claimed that someone paid him to transport produce to Atlanta.

Records kept by the government showed a white Ford Ranger registered to Pedro Luis Lopez , a businessman from Progreso, followed Perez through the checkpoint that day.

Border Patrol provided the DEA with a report, which revealed the Ford Ranger had followed the truck on five other occasions. It suggested the Ford Ranger was a scout vehicle, according to an affidavit filed in a civil forfeiture case.

Perez pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced him to nearly 6 years in prison.

In April 2024, the DEA interviewed Perez again.

“During the interview, PEREZ confirmed that the statements that he provided to agents were truthful,” according to the affidavit, “but inadvertently left several details out during the interview.”

Perez told the DEA that Lopez and someone with the nickname “Cuate” headed the drug trafficking organization.

Agents determined “Cuate” was Lopez’s brother, Jose Gabriel Lopez-Garcia.

Lopez owned PLL Logistics, according to Perez, and several employees knew he smuggled drugs.

Perez said he started working for Lopez in 2021 and made two successful trips before Border Patrol agents caught him.

A federal grand jury indicted Lopez, his brother and Daniel Sanchez-Benavidez, who is related to the Lopez brothers, in June 2024.

At the time, Treviño was running for a seat on the Progreso City Council.

The arrests sent a shockwave through Progreso. Treviño worked for PLL Logistics and Lopez had backed his campaign.

Nearly 49% of voters had supported Treviño during the 12-day early voting period, according to results published by the Hidalgo County Elections Department. After the arrests, his support among voters dropped to nearly 35%.

Treviño lost the race by less than 100 votes. Five weeks later, a grand jury indicted him .

The indictment charged Treviño with participating in a conspiracy that started in January 2019. It also charged him with participating in the November 2022 incident that involved about 194 pounds of cocaine.

What, exactly, Treviño did remains unclear. The indictment didn’t include any details or reveal what role Treviño allegedly played in the conspiracy.

“Eventually, we’ll get into the discovery and what allegedly occurred,” said Garcia, the attorney who represents Treviño. “We’re not there yet, at this moment.”

If convicted, Treviño faces 10 years to life in federal prison.

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