Money stolen at border

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
My advise is don't slow down and don't stop.. they aren't issued ammunition anyhow.

That's the dumbest F#@king advice I've heard recently. Ask Jerry how that turned out for some of his friends down by Santo Tomas. My girlfriend and I had to drive home after the Boo Bar Poker Run February 5th 2018. We left the Boo Bar awards ceremony at about 730 I believe we were on the road by 8pm... I want to say it was about 8:30pm when we were on decent of that little hill where the 1990's Narco deal gone bad shrine is if everyone is familiar with that, just a few miles past the River Sonoyta and Pinacate ranger stations on the North side of the highway. Anyways, after we got up and over that little knoll where that shrine is I could see a light a mile or so ahead in the distance. I could tell it wasn't oncoming headlights so naturally I started wondering what the hell it was. GF was asleep but as I got closer and started slowing down I could tell it was some kind of checkpoint. It ended up being a FEDERAL Police office or at least someone dressed as a FEDERALE with a flashlight. He was waiving the flashlight at me just like a traffic controller on an airway tarmac. They had cones set up and a car was on the side of the road with the trunk popped open.

Best thing to do in these situations is just keep calm and do as instructed. Be polite. 99.99999% of the time this has absolutely nothing to do with you. Just play the game, win and go on with your life. February 5th was a Monday so this was a random Monday night in the middle of the desert at about 830pm. Pulled up, rolled down the window. Guy goes, where are you headed, YO DIJE, "Phoenix". Guy asks me for my license, I provided it. He looks at it real quick and says Buenas noches... Pulling away, my now awake GF says WTF was that about and I go, NARCO activity. A scheduled shipment was pry headed through and this guy needed a piece of the game. His share. Nothing more, nothing less.

Don't try and be some hero and think you're going to blow through some checkpoint in the middle of the desert at night and not think there very well could be negative consequence. Just 10 trips per year for the last 13 years and many more before that with a lot of experience driving at night and all hours of the day ADVICE. I don't drive at night as much as we used to when we were young and invincible but every now and then we still do to maximize the amount of time we can spend in RP... Just be cool.

As for one of the other comments from Joan C. Pretty sure the C stands for cheerleader. Complete shocker JOAN.... I guess that would be the first time the cops were ever in on the take in Mexico... SMH They are NOT all like that but does it happen?! Only the naive ones think that they're all good...
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Read this article today from the Associated Press about Bagdad, Mexico. The Eastern most part of the border where the Rio Grande meets the sea. In the article the community is complaining about a National Guard checkpoint like the one we have in Sonoyta just before the border. The article in principle is NOT about the National Guard.

"The only official presence is a sandbag guard post on the highway between Playa Bagdad and Matamoros, although locals protested at the post this month, saying it was only used to demand bribes. For Álvarez, "the Guard" doesn't mean President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's National Guard either. Instead it means "former soldiers, marines and police who report to the gangs."

I just thought the comment was relevant and insightful to this discussion and the NG check at POE Sonoyta/Lukeville. Even if the comment was only partly true it helps to understand why this behavior is happening for some at our crossing. I personally haven't had any issue with them. They did check my jet ski registration at 1030pm one night coming in to Mexico and then wanted me to turn my truck off and get out but once the guy saw I had a hand control and that I had to get my walker out of the back of the truck he just said GOOD NIGHT! And off we went.

Article is below.

Associated Press
https://news.yahoo.com/mexicos-playa-bagdad-mixes-sun-043002160.html
 

badfish

Well Known Member
We have encountered the secondary inspection last year while heading down to RP. Our money wasn't stolen as it was on us but they did thoroughly go through our truck.

We will be going down at the end of the month with several friends for my 40th. Some of which have never been to RP before.

Is the secondary inspection still there?
 

brokenwave

Well Known Member
Yes it's still there, they stop random cars, but I've seen mostly cars with females being targeted.
Just my observation while waiting to cross into the US.
I've never been stopped over the past 3 years of crossing.
My wife has been stopped with my 2 teenage girls, they made everyone get out of the car along with
our 3 cats traveling with them. It was a hectic 5 minutes for them.
 

Mexico Joe

Cholla Bay 4 Life
Yes it's still there, they stop random cars, but I've seen mostly cars with females being targeted.
Just my observation while waiting to cross into the US.
I've never been stopped over the past 3 years of crossing.
My wife has been stopped with my 2 teenage girls, they made everyone get out of the car along with
our 3 cats traveling with them. It was a hectic 5 minutes for them.
Wonder why they're only targeting women?! LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL complete shocker. I actually told my girlfriend this trip that I think those Mexican National Guard troops are reading the forum because now the stop sign/checkpoint thing that I have been telling people to go through looks a lot more formal now and they are definitely manning it. Although, we got the wave through going South and then again going North a couple of days later. I don't even bother rolling down my window or showing any kinds of non verbal body language towards those guys. If they want me to stop I make them tell me. I dont volunteer by asking or showing any interest other than driving right by them.
 
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