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larryC
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Police rip off in Tecate?
I just received this email from a freind. He travels in Baja alot and has for many years. He is not a beginner. Here is the email I received:
I have enjoyed traveling in Mexico for many years. The people have always been helpful and pleasant, the country beautiful.
However, this last trip my wife and I made to Baja California was strikingly different. We crossed the border into Mexico at Tecate on the morning of
December 27th, 2011. The border officials inspected our camper contents, and then directed us to the Visa office, where we purchased visas. We
continued for a few blocks when the red lights of a police pickup truck went on. The officer asked for my license and registration, which I provided,
and we stood together with another officer who was in the car and talked on the sidewalk. The first officer said I was speeding. I argued with him,
told him that I wasn't speeding. He then said he wanted to look in the cab of the camper. When he opened the door on the driver's side, he searched
around and found two pocket knives, the locking kind, that I had bought for a Mexican friend I was going to see in Loreto. He announced that it was
illegal to have a knife in the cab of a car where it was close to the driver and within reach. He said having a knife was a felony in Mexico, and that
I had to follow him to see the Judge who would decide the matter. My wife and I followed the Police pick-up truck a few blocks to what appeared to be
a police station. Inside there were several other police officers, and I was directed to a small room where we all waited for the judge. Soon the
"judge" arrived, a twenty five year old slight fellow in jeans and a plaid shirt. I was told then that the penalty for having an illegal knife in the
car was 72 hours in jail. If however I wanted to pay the fine, I could be released without jail time. I asked what the fine was, and was told 5000
pesos. I asked how much in American Dollars, and he said 500 dollars. I sat in this locked room with the "judge" and the two officers for quite some
time while we negotiated.
My wife at this time was sitting in the car parked about a half block away near the police station. I began to realize that if I did not pay the fine,
I would go to jail and of course I could not take my personal effects with me, like my wallet, and they would take all of my money. Also, I was
concerned about my wife waiting for three days in the car.
Finally, with no real choice, I decided to pay. I gave them 400 dollars, they said OK, gave me back the pocket knives, handed me my driver's license
and registration, and opened the door and I was free. I was shaken by this, and my wife was visibly upset when I returned to the car.
I began to drive back towards Highway 2, and while my wife and I were talking, another officer on a motorcycle drove up to the drivers window and said
we did not have our seatbelts on, and that is a traffic violation. I continued driving. In just a few seconds, another police pickup truck turned on
his red lights and followed behind us for a minute or two. Then he disappeared and was gone.
The Mexican police are the face of Mexican law and justice; they have the legal power as well as guns, and can do whatever they want. Many tourists do
not travel to Mexico because of the drug related killings. However, the police interact much more with the tourists they prey upon and extort money
from and have an even greater negative effect on tourism.
My wife said that while this was happening, she looked for a badge number or name or some form of identification that the police officers were
wearing, and could not see any. They were not wearing badges. All we could get was the license number of the pickup truck that initially stopped our
vehicle. The truck said Policia Municipal; License number P-2358.
The above is completely true.
Sincerely Barry Mastro.
My first impression is that he got ripped off by the police. It sounds like he was taken to the police station and put into a small room where a fake
judge (maybe an off duty policeman)was brought in. He was made to feel like he was going to jail, so he paid the fine and got out of there. If the
knives were such a big deal why were they returned to him?
Does this sound like the normal proceedure to anyone that has experience with the police in Tecate? Is there not a courtroom or someplace where cases
like this are handled? He wants to persue this further but is not sure how to proceed.
Any suggestions?
Larry
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Udo
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It appears that Tecate is now becoming what Ciudad Constitución used to be (or still is).
I remember reading about the dog in the back seat of a pick up truck, and that it was against the law to have one there.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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DENNIS
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Not that it much matters, but I don't remember seeing a badge on a cop's shirt for a long time. Maybe I just haven't noticed.
Tell your friends to keep getting the word out. Tourists need to know how dangerous Tecate is becoming due to the police.
Thanks for posting this, Larry.
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Udo
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If anyone wants it, I have the Mayor's phone number.
(Come to think about it...I think I'll just keep it to myself)
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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rts551
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So if I interpret this right, a locking Buck knife (if not used for work) would be considered illegal.
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Ken Cooke
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On one of my Baja Grande trips (2006), our group traveled through Tecate and were shaken down by a police officer in Tecate. The reason for the Jeep
being stopped was because he allegedly stopped at the corner before making a right turn.
As he pulled over (calling out over CB radio), another 7 or 8 Jeeps pulled over. I called out over my CB to the others waiting at Hwy 2 near the
Warehouses to come back. The Jeeps stopped traffic completely in both directions while this Jeep driver was negotiating with the Police. While this
was happening, we all approached the Police Officer to see what was going on. As he saw us walking towards him, he noticed the entire Blvd. blocked
by Jeeps and he ordered us out of Tecate!
 15 Jeeps hold that much power in Tecate!
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Mengano
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| Quote: | Originally posted by larryC
...he searched around and found two pocket knives, the locking kind, that I had bought for a Mexican friend I was going to see in Loreto. He announced
that it was illegal to have a knife in the cab of a car where it was close to the driver and within reach. |
But it is perfectly legal to put it in your pocket and walk down the street with it. 
Lucky thing for your friend he was not bringing his friend in Loreto a box of steak knives. He would have had to sell his truck to pay the mordida.
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Maderita
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I have heard, over a period of several years, that carrying a knife is illegal and must not be inside the vehicle. I didn't know just how serious it
was until I looked it up!
A warning from the US Consulate:
http://tijuana.usconsulate.gov/tijuana/warning.html
"If you carry a knife on your person in Mexico, even a pocketknife . . .
•You may be arrested and charged with possession of a deadly weapon;
•You may spend weeks in jail waiting for trial, and tens of thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees, court costs, and fines;
•If convicted, you may be sentenced to up to five years in a Mexican prison.
Claiming not to know about the law will not get you leniency from a police officer or the judicial system. Leave your firearms, ammunition, and knives
at home. Don’t bring them into Mexico."
My understanding is that there is no bail for a felony. That means that one could be in jail for a year or more awaiting trial.
Some advise that if arrested, it's better to buy your way out of trouble before going to jail. Once in jail, it may be too late.
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edm1
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Location: Oak Hills, Ca
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How about kitchen knives? My motorhome is stuffed with knives in the top kitchen drawer. Now, I'm worried about going to Baja.
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Lobsterman
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As I stated last week Mexico is getting to be no fun with the constant worry you have each time you travel south. Imagine if this mom's kid is found
with a knife. He would end up in jail for years like my friend did for a trumpt up charge you have no control over. Even the defense lawyers are
part of the scam.
"I would not allow my kids to go anywhere in mexico at this time. With the way
1. the authorities are shaking down gringos,
2. poor heathcare,
3. overcharging emergency care
4. the extreme penalty compared to the USA if someone has drugs or other offenses whether true or false. Either way you will have very little control
and will need to pay a lot more there to get your kid back home.
5. a legal system where you are guilty until you can prove you are innocent at a large cost.
6. if jailed you will be thrown in a pen of wolves in very deplorable 3rd world prison system. Ever see the tv show "Locked Up Abroad", that's
mexico's prison system. You will have to bribe many layers of people to get some money to your kid to pay of normal things in prison you need to
survive like food, clothing, blankets and protection from the wolves. I know this from experience.
7. very narrow and dangerous roads from El Rosario to LA Bay especially at night and if the driver is inexperienced. Many places along the route the
road is not wide enough for two large trucks, motorhomes or busses to pass each going in opposite directions other without one having to drive on the
shoulder. Some shoulders are only iches wide before a deep ditch or mountain dropoff. I've been driving to LA Bay since the 80's towing an 8' boat in
trailer and many times wondered how I misses that vehicle.
My motto with my kids is safety first. Why subject them to that environment. This isn't the Mexico from the 60-80s that you might have heard about.
it's a new and every changing dangerous environment there now.
Therefore to answer your question, I would not subject my innocent, gullible kids to that hostile environment without going along myself and
monitoring the situation. It's just not worth it to me to worry the whole time they are down there. it only takes one event to change your kid's life
forever. If such an event happened in the USA at least you will have a better control of the situation with a legal system that you are innocent until
you are proven guilty.
The comment that getting out of LA is more dangerous that mexico is just not true.
This is just my opinion from experience of going to mexico to fish and camp out often until a few years ago."
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Lobsterman
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By the way my friend's 19 yo son was placed in a very large cell with a pack of wolves for over two years. The cell had no toilets just drain hole in
the floor. His job was to use a bucket to pick up all the chit. Does that happen any where in our penal system? Mexican authorities or fakes can do
anything they want to you down there. That's why my innocent kids are forbidden to even think about traveling anywhere in Mexico.
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paranewbi
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"If such an event happened in the USA at least you will have a better control of the situation with a legal system that you are innocent until you are
proven guilty".
Lobsterman...google InnocenceProject
hundreds of people shown to have not been guilty after being locked up for 10's of years. Some off DEATH ROW!
One University Survey of Judges, Prosecutors, Public Defenders, Attorneys, etc...reveals that there may be up to 10,000 innocent people in our
prisons.
Mostly due to False eyewitness identification. Google that to.
The Innocence project gets over 2000 appeals for help every year...just in California! With very limited resources and volunteer help from law
students, they can only take on a handful of those.
Good thing is, in the USA...it will only cost you about $80,000 to put on a trial to prove your son innocent if necessary. But even that may not work.
Maybe a bribe would not be to bad.
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paranewbi
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Link to stats above
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/ronhuff.htm
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paranewbi
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Lobsterman...
I spend every saturday in Donovan State Prison visiting inmates. You should study the system and aware yourself of the courts necessity to step in and
stop the abuse. I see it and I experiance it.
I won't say its worse than mexico but i will say pain is in the eye of the beholder and is very relative.
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jkruk
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time of day
any idea as to the time of day blasting off Sun/mon and really don't care to hear this as Tecate has always been my favorite
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larryC
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jkruk
Not sure what the time of day was for this, but I would guess morning hours, I don't think Barry drives at night. I wouldn't let this one incidence
stop you from traveling, but I would certainly be alert. Not that it would help.
Larry
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unbob
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Another Tecate cautionary tale ... this was posted on another newsletter by some personal friends. This occurred around Jan 5-7, 2012.
"One thing we wanted to pass along was an experience in Tecate. We thought it was the typical cop wanting money but when we thought about it it
may have been something different.
We got pulled over and told we hadn't stopped at the stop line. We denied it and requested him to write a ticket. I got out of the truck to look for
a plate number for his motorcycle (there was none) and get his name and number (he had a name tag but no number). My husband got out to ask him to
show us where he had failed to stop. At that time the "cop" gave up, returned our license and left.
The difference with this incident was he kept wanting us to follow him to the police station rather than just trying to get some money.
We wonder now if he really was going to have taken us to the police station or maybe somewhere off the main road where his buddies were waiting?
Anyway, we just thought we would pass it along as a heads up."
"I'm too young to be this old!"
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Lee
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| Quote: | Originally posted by larryC
They were not wearing badges. All we could get was the license number of the pickup truck that initially stopped our vehicle. The truck said Policia
Municipal; License number P-2358.
The above is completely true.
Sincerely Barry Mastro.
My first impression is that he got ripped off by the police. It sounds like he was taken to the police station and put into a small room where a fake
judge (maybe an off duty policeman)was brought in. He was made to feel like he was going to jail, so he paid the fine and got out of there. If the
knives were such a big deal why were they returned to him?
Does this sound like the normal proceedure to anyone that has experience with the police in Tecate? Is there not a courtroom or someplace where cases
like this are handled? He wants to persue this further but is not sure how to proceed.
Any suggestions?
Larry |
Boy did this post get sidetracked. Perfect post though to discuss crime in L.A. and stats about violence in Mexico.
How about some experts checking in with options to what is reported here?
DK: who's the mayor of Tecate? Who's the police chief?
How could this story have had a different ending?
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rts551
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If the posts about knife laws are true, sounds like this wasn't a rip-off, but maybe someone got lucky they did not go to jail.
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Oddjob
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Knives are illegal to carry on your person in Mexico and it can also be considered a crime to have one in your car if it's within reach. As is typical
with Mexico's screwed up laws you can go to a tourist area store and purchase a pocket knife and be immediately arrested for possessing it. As for
driving thru Tecate, pay attention to the speed limit signs. As you head up the hill toward Ensenada or start heading east toward Mexicali the posted
speed is 25 kph which is 15 mph. The police have used this area of ridiculously low limits to pull drivers over for years. Even though you will be
passed by a local going twice or three times the limit , you still need to just crawl through these spots.
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