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ORphil
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Border crossing scrutiny
Hey folks, I haven't driven down for many, many years. Been flying down for the last few trips and I haven't had my bags searched. I use kratom, which
is a herb some SE asia and isn't worthy of debating about other that it looks odd. A green powder in a vacuum sealed bag. It isn't illegal in MX or in
CA.
I'm curious if anyone has run into problems at the border heading south or any checkpoints and had to explain it. Kind of a long shot but kratom is
becoming more popular. It just seems hard to explain for a dumb gringo such as myself with next to no spanish and looks suspicious. Thoughts?
thanks
phil
[Edited on 1-10-2024 by ORphil]
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mtgoat666
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Hard to say…. If your drugs are labeled and legal, then should be no problem.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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Lee
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If it's found, and sealed, military might want to open it.
If it were mine, I'd hide it well.
Labeled and legal is meaningless to checkpoints.
US Marines: providing enemies of America an opportunity to die for their country since 1775.
What I say before any important decision.
F*ck it.
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AKgringo
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No poker face here....
If I was worried about hiding something, I would probably have a "tell" that would prompt a search. If it is available in Baja, I would probably
count on finding it at my destination, or do without it for a few days.
As far as Lencho's suggestion, I am trying to visualize the charades I would go through explaining erectile disfunction with my limited Spanglish!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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pacificobob
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The humor component of the ED explaination would likely work well. Those check point guys love dik humor..
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surabi
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I always found it best not to try to hide something that might be questioned. Because if they find it and there was obviously an attempt to hide it,
that will just call attention, suspicion and questioning to it. As long as whatever it is isn't illegal to bring in, I always put things in what would
be a logical place for someone to pack something they weren't trying to hide. If they ask what it is, just tell them honestly or at least plausibly.
So something like a bag of a legal herbal medication I would just put in my food box, with all my other herbs
and spices.
I once brought down a dozen new Indian print bedspreads to sell in my upholstery shop. If they were all folded and stacked up neatly together, they
might have questioned them and tried to charge me duty. I just wadded them up and used them to cushion dishes and breakable stuff that was in boxes
and totes, which didn't draw a second glance.
[Edited on 1-12-2024 by surabi]
[Edited on 1-12-2024 by surabi]
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RFClark
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“If you’re curious about the legality of kratom in Mexico, you’re not alone. Whenever you plan on bringing kratom with you when you travel to
another state or country, it’s a good idea to check the legal status of kratom not only for your destination but for any stops along the way.
Fortunately, kratom is legal in Mexico. There are no kratom bans in Mexico, nor have any efforts to ban kratom in Mexico been introduced. It is legal
to possess and carry kratom in Cancun, Mexico City, Tulum, or any other part of the country, because the government of Mexico has not restricted
kratom in any of Mexico’s 32 states.”
https://toptreeherbs.com/is-kratom-legal-in-mexico/
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surabi
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I highly doubt any Mexican border official has ever heard of kratom before. I hadn't either.
And whether there is a law against bringing something in or not, the reality is, anything could be confiscated depending on the whim of the border
official. I once had a US border official confiscate a box of feathers I was using for craft projects. While it is illegal to transport animal
products like feathers across the border, just like you can't cross with certain fruits and vegetables, those restrictions are designed to stop the
spread of diseases, funguses, bacteria, etc. so they don't apply to all of those things across the board. It
depends on how they are packaged and labelled, their origin, etc.
The feathers I had weren't ones I had picked up off the ground, that could spread avian flu or anything, they were packaged and sterilized (and marked
as such), especially for use in craft work. So they weren't actually illegal to cross with, but the officious jerk at the border confiscated them
anyway.
[Edited on 1-13-2024 by surabi]
[Edited on 1-13-2024 by surabi]
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surabi
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One thing I appreciate about Mexican customs officials is that most of them tend to retain their humanity, rather than acting like automatons who
never crack a smile or engage in any banter, like the US ones.
I have a friend who is well-off, has a big fancy house in Mexico and brings down a lot of expensive stuff for it. She once flew in and had a bunch of
new appliances- a coffeemaker, blender, stereo, etc. The customs guys at the airport were going through her bags, setting those things aside, saying
she'd have to pay duty on them.
She and her husband are boxing fans and had just gone to a bout in NYC where a famous Mexican boxer was fighting. She had bought Tshirts with the face
of the boxer and "Madison Square Garden, 20xx" printed in them to gift to her employees.
The Mexican customs guys pulled out the t-shirts, held them up, and got big smiles on their faces. She said, "You like him?" They nodded yes,
emphatically. She
said, "They're yours". They slid them under the counter and said quietly, "Lady, pack up your stuff and go."
No duty charged on all her stuff.
[Edited on 1-13-2024 by surabi]
[Edited on 1-13-2024 by surabi]
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ftrphb
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The pendulum swings back and forth. I have walked across the border into TJ maybe 1,000 times, over the years. Today MX migration confiscated my bag
of rice. Two different migration officers looked in the box I was carrying. A box of food. Most of the time they just ignore me.
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towntaco
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Quote: Originally posted by lencho  |
Ironic afternote (I'd never even heard of kraton before this thread):
"Common side effects include appetite loss, erectile dysfunction, nausea and constipation.
Source: Wikipedia
Side note: I'm always intrigued when people inquire about taking their favorite mind-altering substance to Mexico. Who needs drugs when one can
experience alternate realities just talking to the old doña next door? |
Kratom is both physically addictive and used by people to get off opiates. Our new friend Phil probably doesn't want to go through the withdrawal.
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ORphil
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Towntaco,
Where are you getting this information about Kratom? I've never been addicted to opiates and kratom can be used similar to how people drink coffee as
an extremely mild stimulant, with none of the unpleasant side effects of too much caffeine. I've seen some have used it for opiate withdrawals, and
it is also used for pain relief by a lot of folks.
Of course the FDA and the DEA doesn't want people using a cheap readily available natural substance for such things, they attempted to make it a
Schedule I drug in 2016 but the backlash from the public halted it at least for now. It's active ingredient is being investigated by pharma in order
to patent and oh, I don't know, maybe make a lot of money off it.
If one believes the DEA propaganda about kratom, it has been involved in a a few deaths in the last decade but unfortunately (for their purposes) all
of them involved other dangerous substances some of which are legal and prescribed. Not kratom alone. Look it up...
Phil
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ORphil
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Thanks for all the replies, I just won't worry about it. I've gone through the checkpoints before and once had to say it was matcha tea which is far
easier than trying to explain I have some relatively rare herbal substance from SE Asia.
I suppose I was mostly curious about people's experiences southbound through the border at Tecate or Mexicali, it has been so long since I've driven.
I'll have camping gear and all the rest, probably nothing to fret about.
thanks again
Phil
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pauldavidmena
Super Nomad
Posts: 1713
Registered: 5-23-2013
Location: Centerville, MA, USA
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| Quote: Originally posted by surabi | I always found it best not to try to hide something that might be questioned. Because if they find it and there was obviously an attempt to hide it,
that will just call attention, suspicion and questioning to it.
|
My wife grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The quickest way to get there from Massachusetts, by far, is through southern Ontario. It takes
about 24 hours from the Boston area, which we usually break up into 2 days, but with 2 drivers, it's possible to make it through in one day unless
something unusual happens. So...
We left Munising, MI after breakfast and picked up 2 cases of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, my wife's favorite beer. We know it's legal to transport up to 2
cases of beer into both Canada and the U.S., so we're covered - legally. When we reach the border crossing from Niagara Falls into Buffalo, already
600 miles into our trip, we're questioned not only about transporting illegal substances, but explicitly about beer, which is in plain sight on the
floor of the back seat. Tired, I hesitate before saying, "yes, two cases," which apparently is enough for the officer to pull us away from the booth
for a full inspection. This meant back seats removed, glove box ransacked, and all luggage pulled out and searched. It took several officers no more
than fifteen minutes to do their damage, and about an hour to put everything back together before proceeding on the 500-mile drive to Boston. As a
bonus, we were both patted down as well.
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SFandH
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7084
Registered: 8-5-2011
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| Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo |
As far as Lencho's suggestion, I am trying to visualize the charades I would go through explaining erectile disfunction with my limited Spanglish!
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Universal sign language using your index finger - straight out or bent over. They'll get it. 
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18281
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: Originally posted by ORphil | Thanks for all the replies, I just won't worry about it. I've gone through the checkpoints before and once had to say it was matcha tea which is far
easier than trying to explain I have some relatively rare herbal substance from SE Asia.
Phil |
They rarely do a detailed inspection.
But dont be stupid and think they are dummies. If you lie and say your crackon is tea, they will see right thru your lies. I am sure the inspectors
have seen it all, or heard of it all. They ain't dumb.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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towntaco
Junior Nomad
Posts: 69
Registered: 1-14-2018
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| Quote: Originally posted by ORphil | Towntaco,
Where are you getting this information about Kratom? I've never been addicted to opiates and kratom can be used similar to how people drink coffee as
an extremely mild stimulant, with none of the unpleasant side effects of too much caffeine. I've seen some have used it for opiate withdrawals, and
it is also used for pain relief by a lot of folks.
Of course the FDA and the DEA doesn't want people using a cheap readily available natural substance for such things, they attempted to make it a
Schedule I drug in 2016 but the backlash from the public halted it at least for now. It's active ingredient is being investigated by pharma in order
to patent and oh, I don't know, maybe make a lot of money off it.
If one believes the DEA propaganda about kratom, it has been involved in a a few deaths in the last decade but unfortunately (for their purposes) all
of them involved other dangerous substances some of which are legal and prescribed. Not kratom alone. Look it up...
Phil |
Both Mayo Clinic and NIH
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prescription-...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3670991/
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Lee
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3500
Registered: 10-2-2006
Location: High in the Colorado Rockies
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 | | Quote: Originally posted by ORphil | Thanks for all the replies, I just won't worry about it. I've gone through the checkpoints before and once had to say it was matcha tea which is far
easier than trying to explain I have some relatively rare herbal substance from SE Asia.
Phil |
They rarely do a detailed inspection.
But dont be stupid and think they are dummies. If you lie and say your crackon is tea, they will see right thru your lies. I am sure the inspectors
have seen it all, or heard of it all. They ain't dumb. |
More generalizations about checkpoints that don't hold up. Equivalent to stating that checkpoints always know when you're telling the truth.
Only thing that might be true is checkpoints ''profile.'' If you have a surfboard on top, long hair, they will ''assume'' you have pot and will get
a detailed search.
At the SI checkpoint, once, I was really sick (cold, runny nose, not well), same with my old dog who was about to die from old age, I had aspirin,
ibuprofen, Tylenol, bottles laying around, and it was like a swat team descended on my car. Too degassing coffee containers had roasted coffee.
They kept asking me where the pot was I kept saying no pot. They were pi$$ed they couldn't find anything. Car in back was a MX friend
caravanning down with me and they told him they knew I had pot but just couldn't find it. I was too sick to be pi$$ed.
US Marines: providing enemies of America an opportunity to die for their country since 1775.
What I say before any important decision.
F*ck it.
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mtgoat666
Select Nomad
Posts: 18281
Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: Originally posted by Lee | | Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 | | Quote: Originally posted by ORphil | Thanks for all the replies, I just won't worry about it. I've gone through the checkpoints before and once had to say it was matcha tea which is far
easier than trying to explain I have some relatively rare herbal substance from SE Asia.
Phil |
They rarely do a detailed inspection.
But dont be stupid and think they are dummies. If you lie and say your crackon is tea, they will see right thru your lies. I am sure the inspectors
have seen it all, or heard of it all. They ain't dumb. |
More generalizations about checkpoints that don't hold up. Equivalent to stating that checkpoints always know when you're telling the truth.
Only thing that might be true is checkpoints ''profile.'' If you have a surfboard on top, long hair, they will ''assume'' you have pot and will get
a detailed search.
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Get a haircut!
[Edited on 1-13-2024 by mtgoat666]
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6017
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
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Mood: Retireded
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What about the "combover", is it in style?
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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