777 Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 I received a note from friends that drove in last week, Sept.25.. After crossing into Mexico, stoping to pay for importing a US vehicle for 6 months, they drove a short distance further, and a car came up along side of them and pushed them off the road to the right side road. He then took out a gun and asked for their cash. They gave him cash and he drove away. I'd suggest, as a precaution, you might want to drive in the left lane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzanjo Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 Yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francecookie Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 A similar thing happened to me 3 yrs. ago. Had no choice but to pay up and leave in a hurry. Happened very close to building where one pays for vehicle sticker. Be careful in that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux4noff Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 We passed through there Friday. Daytime, no problem. If after dark, for peace of mind, I'd wait until another vehicle is exiting. It's a fairly lonely little road to/from the offices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtiki Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 If they didn't have someone sticking a gun in their face before they stopped, why did they stop? I'm not trying to blame the victim but I would have just continued to head on even if they had hit my car , because once you are at the mercy of the perpetrators. I was once carjacked in the United States at gunpoint and so I understand what can go through your mind in a flash.I had to choose not to fight because I had a gun stuck to my head and my girlfriend standing next to me. We could have both been shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 That is blaming the victim. They were pushed off the road & then a gun in their faces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkveton Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Was this at the Colombia crossing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elevator Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Just happened to us on Friday. We had a 3 car caravan, our guide and transporter in a loaded van. my wife in her car and me. We crossed through the city crossing in Laredo. Couple of blocks across a car rushes around me, pulls in front of the van and stops, blocking the street. A guy jumps out of the car and another comes out of a building with shirt on that said staff. He walks to the window and shakes hands with our guide through the window. I thought they knew each other because our guy knows a lot of folks in Laredo. My wife stayed in her car and as I got out of mine our guy comes to me and says we gotta pay $400 US dollars.. I said we just paid at the border. He says no, we have to pay these guys or they will take him and the van....and I can tell he's nervous. I said are they cartel and he says yes, the Cetas I look on the sidewalk next to the van and there is a guy there with an AK 47 raised. Luckily I had cash and paid. They were very polite and one guy had on UGA hat. I said go dogs and he laughed. BigTiki may talk big, but once the gun is up so is the jig. Our guy is very experienced crossing the border it has never happened to him before. Evidently they were watching at the crossing or a border guard tipped them off. Just glad it was only $400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo1 Posted October 5, 2014 Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Just happened to us on Friday. We had a 3 car caravan, our guide and transporter in a loaded van. my wife in her car and me. We crossed through the city crossing in Laredo. Couple of blocks across a car rushes around me, pulls in front of the van and stops, blocking the street. A guy jumps out of the car and another comes out of a building with shirt on that said staff. He walks to the window and shakes hands with our guide through the window. I thought they knew each other because our guy knows a lot of folks in Laredo. My wife stayed in her car and as I got out of mine our guy comes to me and says we gotta pay $400 US dollars.. I said we just paid at the border. He says no, we have to pay these guys or they will take him and the van....and I can tell he's nervous. I said are they cartel and he says yes, the Cetas I look on the sidewalk next to the van and there is a guy there with an AK 47 raised. Luckily I had cash and paid. They were very polite and one guy had on UGA hat. I said go dogs and he laughed. BigTiki may talk big, but once the gun is up so is the jig. Our guy is very experienced crossing the border it has never happened to him before. Evidently they were watching at the crossing or a border guard tipped them off. Just glad it was only $400. Did you have US or Mexican plates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickS Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 We crossed through the city crossing in Laredo Which bridge, old or 'new'? 'New' is a little farther to the east known as International Bridge II. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtiki Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 Hey, look ,no insult intended. It was said there was a gun. If someone had a small pistol that's one thing and ak-47 while you're standing there is something else. so I'm not talking big. That's why I relayed the message about being carjacked but maybe you didn't read that part. Sounds like you had no choice. I'm sorry it happened to you, or anyone for that matter. Crime affects all of us, and affects relationships between the Mexican people and the Norte Americanos. It makes everyone less trusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elevator Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 No problem BigTiki, but when they have your car blocked and a gun there is little choice. It was the crossing through centro Laredo, don't know the name off hand. My wife and I had US plates, our guide had Jalisco. Like I said, someone as either posted at the border, or were called by an agent that works there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 No problem BigTiki, but when they have your car blocked and a gun there is little choice. It was the crossing through centro Laredo, don't know the name off hand. My wife and I had US plates, our guide had Jalisco. Like I said, someone as either posted at the border, or were called by an agent that works there. Have you reported this to the USA and Mexican authorities Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elevator Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 No it just happened. I know our guide told the federal police who also stopped us about it and all they wanted was money for breakfast. I'll probably let my guide report it, but my bring it up when I go for my temporal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 What terrible experiences. Sympathy to the friend of 777 and elevator. Elevator, it is unclear to me what you mean by "guide". What did you hire that person to do, exactly? Was he from that area, or a local/Lake Chapala person? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elevator Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 Sorry if I wasn't clear. Our companion drove from lakeside to Atlanta to haul our stuff and tow my wife's car. He could not have been more helpful and saved us much time and aggravation. He came highly recommended by some folks on tis board. He certainly had several opportunities to rip us off for much more if so inclined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 What a horrible experience. Border areas all over the world are always filled with sketchy characters and thieving opportunists. I suspect it was the 3-car caravan that made you guys more vulnerable to the opportunistic scumbag. Sorry for your awful luck. Good that you got out of it safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezzie Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 I don't feel that I am an easily intimidated person but something that always seems to raise the hair on the back of my neck is the exit from the border crossings coming into Mexico. I have suspicions that there are "spotters" there that target prey and notify their buddies who are down the road to shake people down. At two of the most popular city crossings in the east (Laredo Bridge #2 and Pharr) there are groups of men hanging around and waving at you, trying to get you to pull over and stop as you pass by upon exiting from the secure border compounds on the Mexican side. It could be as simple as trying to give you directions (in exchange for a propina) but I always floor it and get outa' Dodge. Best to act like you know where you are going (even if you don't). I haven't seen this upon exiting from Columbia (yet) but there you have a different problem - the isolation of Hwy. 2 around the west side of Nuevo Laredo. I would feel more safe if there was a higher Federal Police or Military presence near those compounds but most times there isn't when I have crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonia Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 A client who recently arrived in SMA reports a similar experience in Nuevo Laredo. This is way too often and scary. Sorry, this is happening. Sonia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.