Border Militia

[playaperro]

Could it be the Border Militia has invaded this forum, Can you tell who they
are?

[rockyptjoe]

:confused::confused::confused:

[Kenny]

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0234460320070202 Who knows... they had a special on TV last night about this group, and these boy's are the real deal. Drugs playa, they are after drugs.

[La Huerita]

Nice link, Kenny, thanks. Sometimes the old ways are still best... ;)

[jerry]

I'm big fan of the Indian people but the bottom line is they are hunting down their down on his luck brother-in-law who makes 5 grand a trip using the same skill set. You just can't beat guys paying that kind of money.

[cactusamigo]

Getting Back To The Initial Subject:

The fact of life is that the drug cartels have the money, and money is power. The police are told at every level to either accept payment, or be executed. The choice is to either live a good life, or be dead. That is what the current border Aduana issue is all about.

Be VERY carefull about abiding by the speed limit when driving through Sonoyta. The local police are very serious about enforcing traffic laws. Should you be unfortunate to be stopped for violating traffic laws, insist on paying your fine at police headquarters. Paying or bribing the officer on the spot only makes it worse for other tourists.

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[JimMcG]

Getting Back To The Initial Subject:

Be VERY carefull about abiding by the speed limit when driving through Sonoyta. The local police are very serious about enforcing traffic laws. Should you be unfortunate to be stopped for violating traffic laws, insist on paying your fine at police headquarters. Paying or bribing the officer on the spot only makes it worse for other tourists.


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That is easy to say but highly impractical and dangerous in the current climate of death and corrupt law enforcement, which clearly goes all the way to the top. Who would risk being a martyr to help clean up petty corrupt police officers in Mexico?.

[rockyptjoe]

Getting Back To The Initial Subject:

The fact of life is that the drug cartels have the money, and money is power. The police are told at every level to either accept payment, or be executed. The choice is to either live a good life, or be dead. That is what the current border Aduana issue is all about.

Be VERY carefull about abiding by the speed limit when driving through Sonoyta. The local police are very serious about enforcing traffic laws. Should you be unfortunate to be stopped for violating traffic laws, insist on paying your fine at police headquarters. Paying or bribing the officer on the spot only makes it worse for other tourists.


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I'm very careful driving thru Sonoyta...to the point that I'm afraid one of those Mexican cowboys is going to pull out a gun, you know, the gun that Mexicans are not allowed to own, and shoot me for driving so slow! But if I'm going to be stopped....I will pay the mordida....and that is what it is...a bribe....rather then spend an hour going over to the police station, hope that there is a magistrate available, and pay 3-4 times the amount of the mordida in a fine. I'm not going to fix the corruption in Mexico by making a statement....

Mordida....bribes....whatever you want to call it....is not uncommon in much of the world....it may be against American principles....but I'm not in the USA! I'm in Mexico! And before someone goes off on me....bribery exists in the US too...greasing the palms, loans to relatives, a stay in someone's mountain cabin, a game of golf on a course that you would never be able to access....you name it...it goes on...just never filters down to the common folk like it does in Mexico!

[clayb]

Rockyptjoe,

I agree with you. I usually carry a $20 in my shirt pocket when driving through Sonoyta. I have only needed to use it once, but that made the ordeal last about 1 minute, instead of taking it to the police station. I was stopped for speeding, and probably was, but as you said, we are in Mexico, not the US. It's the way it's done.

[cmuchm]

About three weeks ago we got stop by one of those speed traps in Sonoyta were the Police stands in the middle of the street when you enter Sonoyta from Rocky Point. My husband was really speeding. The Police Officer was very upset and asks him if we saw the speeding signs and gave us a lecture on Km/h vs Mph in broken English. He also ask him if he every got a speeding ticket in Mexico. My husband told him no and we usually don’t speed when driving though Sonoyta. He did not ask for a bribe or to pay the ticket on the spot. He did tell us that we have to pay the ticket at the Police Station but, it was closed on Sunday and he was going to give this first ticket for free. If he catch us speeding again we will have to pay the ticket at the Police Station for $40 dollars. From my experience, it sounds like the Policy is getting the message not to ask for bribes or to pay the ticket on the spot. They are also learning English. I think the days of giving them $20 to get out of a ticket maybe over.

[Terry C]

IMO, you should obey the speeds as posted in Mexico as well as in the US and then you won't have a problem. It may be Mexico but, why chance it....

What is 15-20 minutes faster added to your trip for your time in RP

[Kenny]

I'm like Joe... I piss of both the local Mexicans, and the ugly Americans in Sonoyta by going just a tad over. I never take the "short cut", and I've never been stopped. But after getting out of town on the open road, doing the speed limit is dangerous in my opinion, and again, never been stopped.

[rockyptjoe]

IMO, you should obey the speeds as posted in Mexico as well as in the US and then you won't have a problem. It may be Mexico but, why chance it....

What is 15-20 minutes faster added to your trip for your time in RP
Have you ever tried going the speed limit on the road to Penasco....it's 90 kph (54 mph). You take your life in your hands from both the gringos and the Mexicans driving that stretch at that speed!

[JimMcG]

.............. and again, never been stopped.

Famous last words.:razz:

[mexmac]

A week after the treasurer in Sonoyta took off with the towns money, I was pulled over 3 times before getting out of the city. Once the officers found out that I live in Mexico and that I wasn't going to pay them on the street, they let me go. The cops play on fear but once they find out that you are not going to play the game, they usually let you go. Side note......be nice and respectful....it goes a long way.

[Kenny]

A week after the treasurer in Sonoyta took off with the towns money, I was pulled over 3 times before getting out of the city. Once the officers found out that I live in Mexico and that I wasn't going to pay them on the street, they let me go. The cops play on fear but once they find out that you are not going to play the game, they usually let you go. Side note......be nice and respectful....it goes a long way.

Man I'm starting to feel left out here. How in the hell can you get stopped three times in Sonoyta is quite beyond me. Could it be it's because I drive a Chili pepper red Jeep, and they think I'm just a moving ristras?... I know that in PP they think I'm just helping out a local by towing his cab 8-) and that's why they don't bother me there.

Kenny

[cheatka]

Even if you watch your speed you get pulled over. I was the lead car going about 10mph and the bas----- pulled all of us over. I kept insisting I wasn't speeding and they let me go after showing my liscense and giving her a bottle of water. Its a joke!

[tyler]

Where the hell is Sonoyta?

There's the small town right after you pass the border, I always follow the speed limit, but once you hit the highway again, I go 70-75, is that safe?

Then when I hit RP again, always use the speed limit.

Trying to keep my money safe...

[JimMcG]

Where the hell is Sonoyta?

There's the small town right after you pass the border, I always follow the speed limit, but once you hit the highway again, I go 70-75, is that safe?

Then when I hit RP again, always use the speed limit.

Trying to keep my money safe...

It is probably physically safe but not financially so, if the federales are parked under their favorite trees along the way.

[tyler]

I've never seen one. Is that what they are doing now days?

What speed should I stay around?

[jerry]

go 20 KPH in the school zones and you will be OK. Pull over when locals are tailgating you for going so damn slow. Have pie available for bribes.

[PintoPoint]

I always use my radar detector and wait for someone who wants to lead.

[JimMcG]

I've never seen one. Is that what they are doing now days?

What speed should I stay around?

Speed is ok. Keep your eyes on the road ahead for police traps which are set up once and a while, usually on US holidays or long weekends. Radar detectors will help also.

To be safer, drive the posted highway speed limits, although no one does.

[Kenny]

Pull over when locals are tailgating you for going so damn slow.

I've done that more than once, for both tourist's and locals.

[rockyptjoe]

Speed is ok. Keep your eyes on the road ahead for police traps which are set up once and a while, usually on US holidays or long weekends. Radar detectors will help also.

To be safer, drive the posted highway speed limits, although no one does.
Radar detectors don't work well enough when they are using those hand held radar....by the time the detector goes off...you're caught. The Sonoita police usually hang out in the same area....just when you come off the shortcut (Arizona Market), or up the hill before you leave town. The speed limits change from 20 kph to 40 kph back to 20 kph a couple of times.....

[JimMcG]

Radar detectors don't work well enough when they are using those hand held radar....by the time the detector goes off...you're caught. The Sonoita police usually hang out in the same area....just when you come off the shortcut (Arizona Market), or up the hill before you leave town. The speed limits change from 20 kph to 40 kph back to 20 kph a couple of times.....

The federales have been known to park in a cluster of trees in a ranchito between Nayarit and Penasco on the west side of the highway, and are quite difficult to see until you are almost on top of them.
I don't personally use a radar detector but some people do.

[Terry C]

Sometimes they point the radar detector at your face in Sonoita. Go figure....

[rockyptjoe]

The federales have been known to park in a cluster of trees in a ranchito between Nayarit and Penasco on the west side of the highway, and are quite difficult to see until you are almost on top of them.
I don't personally use a radar detector but some people do.
Now the federales radar does give a good useable signal....on the straightaways heading down, I've gotten them at least a mile away....Saved my butt a couple of times....the idiot behind me didn't have a clue and passed me...got stopped!

[Terry C]

What they do in certain rual areas here is turn them off and turn them back on as a vehicle approaches. busted!!!!!

[rockyptjoe]

What they do in certain rual areas here is turn them off and turn them back on as a vehicle approaches. busted!!!!!
That may be, but with the old system they use ( I think it's the X band), every time they turn it on, the signal travels quite a bit...and you can pick it up from previous "applications" as you're approaching.

[PintoPoint]

The Federales use the KA band same as highway patrol in the US. The cops in Sonoyta are just using old equipment with the X band. Its easy I have always found them in the same place. What I found to be worse is the Park Police on the otherside of the border.

[playaperro]

New Fines in Sonoyta:
Speeding $40.00

Open Container $100 might talk them down to $60


Make sure your pot is rolled 4 joints per person no fine they only take them away.

[JimMcG]

New Fines in Sonoyta:
Speeding $40.00

Open Container $100 might talk them down to $60


Make sure your pot is rolled 4 joints per person no fine they only take them away.

It is funny how things change. Back in the day, I have actually passed out cold beers to 'cops', already feeling no pain, at a highway checkpoint. By the time we were on our way I had actually been holding one cop's loaded AR-15 while we were doing some serious macho bull****ting.:-|

[GringoZona]

Playaperro, did you find this info out the hard way, as they say? ;)

[playaperro]

Playaperro, did you find this info out the hard way, as they say? ;)
Some neighbors paid on Friday

[InkaRoads]

Last Labor Day my radar detector detected a detective with a speed gun and it registered as Ka band, they must be getting updated equipment, also I did notice the police ws wearing a white shirt and dark blue pants, which seem odd unless it is the summer attire!!

[GringoZona]

There was pretty much no traffic on our way to the border from Tucson on the Friday (@ 11:30am) before Labor Day this month, but a line getting into Mexico on the US side courtesy of our Border Guards. They had the dogs out and were asking questions to random drivers. Seemed like those pulling toys got the most attention. Line was about two dozen cars long, took an extra 15 minutes or so to get through, got the green light.

And yeah, we noticed the guy (standing on the right side of the road) w/ the radar gun on the way out of Sonoyta. After the short cut I was rollin' at about 10mph, just waiting for him.

Coming back through the border on Tuesday at noon (stayed an extra day--too nice to leave on Monday), there were only about 3 cars ahead of us split into 2 lanes. Guard didn't care that I didn't have a passport, barely looked at my birth certificate (I appear very Caucasian). He didn't even give me a warning, even though he tapped all around the car & made us open the trunk and was all business, very serious.

There was an extra stop into Tucson just prior to Sells (or 3 Points--I dunno, I was sleeping), the usual place they set up. Guy joked that he could hear someone kicking in the trunk. A new one for me--thought it was pretty funny.

[fasteddy]

I there any problems coming across without a passport? I have some friends who haven't received theirs yet. what do they make you do if you just have DL and birth certificate?

[JimMcG]

I there any problems coming across without a passport? I have some friends who haven't received theirs yet. what do they make you do if you just have DL and birth certificate?

Provide them with the receipt for the passport application.

[GringoZona]

See my post above regarding the passport. 3rd time I've been through since the new "law" went into effect in June. I do plan on getting one, though, just been lazy, cheap--and a little curious!

[InkaRoads]

Called the customs office, for a customer, and they said that they will still take the driver license and birth certificate, it will delay you longer but still accepted as of yesterday

[cheatka]

I came off a stop sign but there area they stand in on the way out of Sonoyta and was going about 10 mph and a whole line of us got pulled over. What a crock!!!! One car got to go on (Mex) and I kept saying I wasn't speeding so after giving her a bottle of water she let us go. I know I should have gone to the PD but ya know, ya just want to get there and get on the beach:)

[playaperro]

I came off a stop sign but there area they stand in on the way out of Sonoyta and was going about 10 mph and a whole line of us got pulled over. What a crock!!!! One car got to go on (Mex) and I kept saying I wasn't speeding so after giving her a bottle of water she let us go. I know I should have gone to the PD but ya know, ya just want to get there and get on the beach:)
You should of gone to the PD so they can search the hell out of your car.
BTW I am the person who saw the scum bags sky blue truck.:wink:

[playaperro]

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/309715


Todays Tucson Paper...

[jerry]

The checkpoint has wrecked Tubac. Stores are closing left and right.When we work down there I give the border patrol guys the same attitude they give me back at them.The locals hate them being there.

[Wood Spinner]

One thing I have wondered about is how long is a school zone ? They have the sign and speed posted but there is never any sign to resume normal speed. I just keep it slow in town and go 65 on the highway.

[jmcdtucson]

I like this comment about the Tubac checkpoint from the above-referenced AZ Daily Star article:

"Now we are reaching out to academia to try to help us identify and to establish measurements that bring value and say this is working"

What about any measurements that say it is not working??? My guess is those are pretty easy to find: no drop in illegal drug availability or rise in prices, no drop in illegal immigration.