. >> reporter: siggy gonzalez was the sheriff in zapata texas for 16 years. >> i remember when i starteda deputy sheriff back in the 1970s, where this was used for drug trafficking. human trafficking. being used forever. >> reporter: and lately, even before the hartley's trip to falcon lake, gonzalez says a new threat has emerged. pirates. >> totally inaccurate. definition of piracy a lot different than when i know it to be. had one robbery on the lake totally. >> reporter: robert speedy colette who owns a fishing lodge here admits he's been stopped by drug cartel members but he also bristles at news reports of piracy and danger. these reports decimated his business on the lake which he insisted is safe. as long as you know the rules. >> it happened to me. i didn't run. they boarded. they found out i wasn't a threat, and i was released. never robbed. never took a penny from me. they did not -- my wallet was in my glove box. i had $1,100 in my wallet. my clients were pretty wealthy people. plenty of money on them. nothing ever happened to them. >> reporter: in the air over falcon lake, st

. >> reporter: siggy gonzalez was the sheriff in zapata texas for 16 years. >> i remember when i started a deputy sheriff back in the 1970s, where this was used for drug trafficking. human trafficking. being used forever. >> reporter: and lately, even before the hartley's trip to falcon lake, gonzalez says a new threat has emerged. pirates. >> totally inaccurate. definition of piracy a lot different than when i know it to be. had one robbery on the lake totally. >> reporter: robert speedy colette who owns a fishing lodge here admits he's been stopped by drug cartel members but he also bristles at news reports of piracy and danger. these reports decimated his business on the lake which he insisted is safe. as long as you know the rules. >> it happened to me. i didn't run. they boarded. they found out i wasn't a threat, and i was released. never robbed. never took a penny from me. they did not -- my wallet was in my glove box. i had $1,100 in my wallet. my clients were pretty wealthy people. plenty of money on them. nothing ever happened to them. >> reporter: in the air over falcon lake, s

. >> reporter: the zapata county sheriff, siggy gonzalez was the first american law official to speak >> it seems something made up. seemed like a story out of the comic books. >> it's hard, because -- >> reporter: but tiffany hartley is insistent on telling her version of what happened. here with cnn's anderson cooper. >> you were meeting with mexican investigators for much of today. did you get the feeling that they believed you or they didn't believe your story? >> no, i do believe that they believe my story. i mean, they -- we had people from the state and then also federal. so everyone has come together to get my statement and that's why it's taken so long. just so everybody has the statement. everybody can't say that they don't have it. >> reporter: and while texas authorities mounted an intensive search for any evidence that could back up her story, tiffany hartley's behavior, detached, showing little emotion, ramped up gossip and suspicion that somehow she was not telling the truth. >> i think that there has been a lot of suspicions based on some of her behaviors and interview