Aircraft Registered To San Antonio, TX Truck Sales Company

The United States Government has filed paperwork in a federal court in McAllen, TX to seize a helicopter owned by a San Antonio truck sales firm, citing ties to a Mexican drug cartel.

The aircraft, identified only as a 1991 Eurocopter France model, is registered to Miguel's Trucks & Trailers Sales Inc. It was reportedly shown in a television news story in March covering the arrest of high-ranking members of a Mexican drug trafficking organization, according to a report from television station KGBT.

Miguel Andrande, the owner of the truck sales firm, was reportedly approached by one of his regular customers who asked if he would consider investing in two helicopters. Andrande told the San Antonio News-Express that he contacted authorities in an effort to clear his name after seeing reports that linked one of his aircraft to Omar Trevino Morales, who was at the time the leader of the Zetas drug cartel.

Documents filed by the U.S. Attorney's office state that Andrande was not the "true owner" of the two aircraft, and that the aircraft seized was "knowingly and willfully registered in a false name, making it subject to forfeiture."

The paper reports that the second helo was seized in Mexico following Morales' arrest.

The complaint states that the two aircraft were purchased "for someone other than the registered owner after at least $2 million was wire transferred from Mexico into the United States."

The customer who acted as intermediary reportedly would not speak to reporters, saying he was "too afraid" to do so.

FMI: www.txs.uscourts.gov