BajaNomad

Aduana at Los Cabos Airport

boe4fun - 10-28-2022 at 08:28 AM

Hola,
We’ve got a large suitcase full of (used) supplies for our clinic that’s being held up by Aduana in San Jose del Cabo. Does anyone have any contacts or suggestions on how to retrieve these items without paying taxes. Since they are used supplies they have no value in the USA, and they won’t have any impact on the Mexican economy as the patients that we service are not able to afford prostheses/orthoses from local businesses down there. Need responses ASAP, Mil Gracias.

surabi - 10-28-2022 at 08:52 AM

You imported goods without bothering to research what you are and are not allowed to bring in, with or without duty?

Whether goods have any value in the US or how they are intended to be used in Mexico has nothing whatsoever to do with what is importable or the duty that is charged on it. You think Aduana is just going to take your word for it that the goods aren't for resale?

[Edited on 10-28-2022 by surabi]

boe4fun - 10-28-2022 at 09:02 AM

Quote: Originally posted by surabi  
You imported goods without bothering to research what you are and are not allowed to bring in, with or without duty?

Whether goods have any value in the US or how they are intended to be used in Mexico has nothing whatsoever to do with what is importable or the duty that is charged on it. You think Aduana is just going to take your word for it that the goods aren't for resale?

[Edited on 10-28-2022 by surabi]


Most of the time I smuggle parts/supplies down in my cabover camper where there are multiple hiding places (been doing this twice a year since 2004 - only been turned back twice).
This time one of the other clinic volunteers from Washington State took down some used parts/supplies on an airplane, hence the problem with Aduana. I always have couple of letters from officials as follows to grease the wheel:
H 11\11AVUNTAML(NlO oc~MU"-ICIPIO0( LAP4.Z:? es
SERVICIO INTEGRAL DE ADUANAS PRESENTE
p ut'~
- ,; ! - ~e: .k
LA DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE INCLUSIÓN Y DIVERSIDAD
Por medio de este conducto me es grato saludarle y a su vez informarle que, nuestra administración ha iniciado una
colaboración estrecha con la fundación Mobilize Mankind, quienes a lo largo de 15 años han trabajado voluntariamente para
proveer de manera gratuita de prótesis y sillas de ruedas a la población con discapacidad motriz en el Estado de Baja California Sur.
Es importante mencionar que, hoy en día, más de 1,500 personas han obtenido su independencia para caminar, moverse y trasladarse para así continuar con su vida laboral y familiar, todo eso, gracias a la gran labor que se realiza a través de esta fundación. Y a las donaciones de materiales y suministros realizadas por parte de instituciones y organizaciones de prótesis en los Estados Unidos, y los cuales son posteriormente reciclados y utilizados para dar forma a las sillas que finalmente son entregadas a la población de nuestro Estado.
Es por ello por lo que, le pedimos de su valioso apoyo para otorgar los permisos necesarios al Sr. Paul Boe, fundador de nuestro taller de prótesis, para que pueda cruzar la frontera con estos materiales y continúe su viaje a la Ciudad de La Paz, Baja California Sur, donde estará impartiendo un taller de prótesis a partir del día 4 de abril del presente año.
Los equipos y suministros que el Sr. Paul Boe traer consigo son los siguientes:
• Componentes protésicos Endo esqueléticos
• Calcetines protésicos para muñón
• Pies protésicos
• Mangas de suspensión de neopreno
• 5 pares de zapatos para diabéticos
• Artículos blandos ortopédicos: férulas para muñeca, rodilleras de neopreno, collarines cervicales, etc.
• Componentes ortopédicos usados: articulaciones de tobillo y rodilla, aparatos ortopédicos de plástico para
tobillo/pies usados
Por último, es conveniente mencionar que este taller de prótesis en La Paz es patrocinado por el Club Rotaría Balandra y es parte de la Alianza MobiMex, una colaboración de varias instituciones gubernamentales y organizaciones sin fines de lucro que trabajan juntas por la inclusión de las personas con discapacidad en nuestra sociedad y el derecho a una mejor calidad de vida,
Sin más por el momento me despido, no sin antes agradecer la atención brindada, quedando a sus órdenes.
Archivo.-
DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE •1NClUSIÓN V DIVERSIDAD
LIC.AM ONTAF.10 DIRECTORA GENE SIÓN Y DIVERSIDAD
Lic. Primo Verdad entre Allende y Rosales, Col. Centro, C.P. 23000, La Paz, BCS, México
Oficio: DGlyD-294/22 Asunto: Donación de materiales e Insumos Protésico-Usados La Paz, Baja California Sur a 18 de marzo del 2022
f 8 r.1r



[Edited on 10-28-2022 by boe4fun]

surabi - 10-28-2022 at 09:44 AM

Regardless of your "grease the wheels" letter, there is nothing legal or binding about it, it is just an explanation of what the goods will be used for- Aduana can do whatever they want.

And while I realize these goods are being used for a good cause, and not for profit, I wouldn't be broadcasting on a public forum that you've been smuggling stuff for years.

tomieharder - 10-28-2022 at 09:51 AM

If you can get a letter from an organized legal charity or non-profit, like the Red Cross, that these are donations, they will let them in.

[Edited on 10-28-2022 by tomieharder]

boe4fun - 10-28-2022 at 10:28 AM

Quote: Originally posted by surabi  
Regardless of your "grease the wheels" letter, there is nothing legal or binding about it, it is just an explanation of what the goods will be used for- Aduana can do whatever they want.

And while I realize these goods are being used for a good cause, and not for profit, I wouldn't be broadcasting on a public forum that you've been smuggling stuff for years.


Of course Aduana can do whatever they want, it’s MEXICO! But this’s mostly been working for the last 18 years, so there’s that.

boe4fun - 10-28-2022 at 11:09 AM

Quote: Originally posted by tomieharder  
If you can get a letter from an organized legal charity or non-profit, like the Red Cross, that these are donations, they will let them in.

[Edited on 10-28-2022 by tomieharder]



This past spring when I crossed I had 3 letters. 1 from the La Balandra Rotary Club in La Paz, 1 from the Director General of Sistema Estatal, and 1 from the Secretary of Health, BCS. Luckily I got the green light and didn’t need to use them.

boe4fun - 10-28-2022 at 02:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho  
Quote: Originally posted by boe4fun  
I always have couple of letters from officials as follows to grease the wheel:

Did your volunteer present these letters to Aduana? Can you get the person(s) who wrote them, to contact Aduana directly?


Yes, I sent him 3 different letters from the last clinic to present to Aduana. We’ll see how it goes.

mtgoat666 - 10-28-2022 at 02:44 PM

Send a couple amputees to the airport to collect the bags. Have them show a sad face. Customs will hand over those prostheses pronto, unless they are heartless…

rzitren - 10-28-2022 at 02:56 PM

One time I landed at Loreto airport with donations of clothes and food after a hurricane. The Red Cross van was there waiting for me but Aduana would not let me bring in the donations. They claimed I might be selling the items. Finally in desperation, I asked for a metal barrel. They were very confused until I told them I was not going to take the items back home so I would burn it up in the barrel so I could not sell the items and I could get on with my vacation. They then let me give it to the Red Cross. You might try something like that.

surabi - 10-28-2022 at 11:08 PM

Now that's a great story. Very clever.

Many years ago, travelling with my ex and the kids, we were coming back from Guatemala through Mexico. We had been staying somewhere in Guatemala where we had been allowed to cut a lot of big bamboo, which my ex had gotten into making furniture out of, not for market, but just for a hobby. So we had the top of my van loaded with long pieces of bamboo. They told us at the border we couldn't bring it into Mexico and no amount of cajoling or arguing worked.

The next morning was the start of Semana Santa, so we parked the van and walked to the store and bought a nice bottle of tequila, then waited several hours for a shift change when new Aduana guys appeared, tried to go through again, handing them the tequila and they waved us through with a big smile.

As my daughter says, "Mexico- where nothing is possible, yet everything is possible".

[Edited on 10-29-2022 by surabi]

RFClark - 10-29-2022 at 08:27 AM

Once a long time ago in central Mexico we had some equipment for the local university held at the Airport. The university had the local fire chief deal ($$) with customs.

boe4fun - 11-3-2022 at 11:02 AM

Update on “Operation Bag Retrieval”

Recently received this message from one of our clinic volunteers:

Got them yesterday- no $$ given. Long story but it worked out. I’ll say Hi for to the gang you 👍🏼

So I haven’t yet got the “Long story” but it sounds like the letters I had sent Garth worked. He didn’t have to pay any taxes. Yay!!!

BajaBruno - 11-4-2022 at 05:50 PM

These are the same people who stole an engraved Leatherman out of my suitcase and had the audacity to replace it with an old broken one.