How I Handle Police Corruption When Driving in Mexico

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Police APP mentioned in the video

[qroo]

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[MrKora]

I'm Mexican myself, all I can ask to all expats is " please don't pay the braving, we are trying to clean our country and get rid of all kinds of corruption, so please help us out and enjoy our country!!

[LtColDaddy]

I was shaken down. But I went to the police station to report it. I knew it wouldn’t help, but I told the officer in charge that I was shaken down for a lot more than I actually was, just to stir the pot, because surely many were in on it, and someone ended up in a world of hurt for holding back funds.

[mexigail]

Thanks for your video. On our way from La Paz to Cabo (BCS) we had a flat tire. We were unable to loosen the lug nuts to change the tire. Green Angels were not around. A National Guard patrol stopped and changed the tire for us. Both young men were polite, efficient and professional in their help. We are senior citizens and permanent residents. We were very thankful, got their names and afterwards sent our congrats and appreciation to their superior. It was a positive experience and love to share it!

[mladencolic]

This EXACT thing happened to me 3 hours ago. I was arguing and insisted on court date and I said he can keep my licence because I'll get another one back home. I saw what they're doing and didn't want to offer not even a dime. They just gave back my documents and took off. It was on my way back to the rental. Your video is absolutely on point from beginning till the end.

[mrdrei]

I'm mexican and a lawyer, ive been in similar situations and yes, this is the correct way of handeling this case.

[lockman]

I used to work for an American manufacture that had a factory in Tecate Mexico. When we would schedule a trip to the Mexican factory we would first stop at our warehouse on the US border. There a human resource employee would brief us how to "get along" in Mexico. The main thing was we were each given business cards for a lawyer in Tecate. This lawyer was the brother in law of the Mayor. Our company paid this lawyer a special fee to insure respect was shown to the Mayor. When the local police would stop you, all you had to do was give them a business card and ask them to call your lawyer. The local police would quickly hand the card back and apologize for stopping us. They were terrified of extorting money from a gringo that was already paying protection money to the Mayor (filtered through his brother in law.)

[jsatv]

I’m from MX and the advices you Provided are very accurate . Grettings to all the US citizens that visit or live in México. 🇺🇸🇲🇽

[TangSooDoMan]

Great video!!! Went to Chiapas in August to visit friends. My friend is from Mexico and he was driving us around. We got pulled over at a road black. A total of 4 officers and 7 firearms. They followed the shakedown recipe as stated in your video. My friend told them several times to simply give him the ticket so he could pay the fine. The police caved after about 10 minutes and returned his documents and license plate. It is so important to stay calm and be respectful during these situations. It is more effective than getting an attitude with law enforcement.

[pedrozatravel]

I have gotten stopped a few times, I have been threatened with all sorts of stuff (arrest, vehicle seizure, etc), but I always ask for a citation, never gotten one yet. I always tell the truth even when it is my fault and that has been the outcome.

[robertswafford]

Your description of the recent experience is EXACTLY like every experience of mine where I chose to not pay “mordida”. I paid it twice only because it was to my convenience. Each time it was no more than $300pesos. I learned from my Mexican friends all the way back in 1986 that the last thing they want is to go back to the station, losing valuable grifting time.

[DrAJ_LatinAmerica]

Truly love a youtuber telling the truth (good and bad) about Mexico. Too many only want to focus on the sunshine and butterflies.

[lorirusso]

Thank you for this, Paul! We just watched again. We live in Zihuatanejo and were pulled over last night just as we arrived home. The officer said we ran a red light. It was actually yellow. He asked for my husband's driver's license, and said he had to keep it as guarantee of payment. I asked him to give us a ticket, if he must, or let's go to the police station. He said it was closed (about 8pm) and had his citation book out. But he gave my husband back his license and said to be careful next time.

[robertc]

Paul, thanks for another great video! We have driven roughly 8000 KM (with foreign plates in a bright red Jeep) throughout MX in the last year and so far we have been blessed with encountering kind helpful officers. We do have a dash cam and my phone sits in a mount on my dash as I use it for navigation. It points towards me and essentially the driver’s side window. When going through check stops I often see the officers look at my dash cam and phone. I have been asked to present papers which we do and they review and send us on our way. I pray we will continue to encounter good folks and not have to mess with a negative situation. I do feel better prepared from watching and reading your advice!
Robert

[plaxtico]

Nice breakdown, pretty accurate down to every stage. I live in Playa Del Carmen, I travel to Tulum daily for work. This happens to me all the time in Tulum. If you don't take the bribe 9/10 they drive away with no ticket issued. Also, there is a law in Q.Roo that protects tourists from small first time traffic infractions.

[jacobloewen]

I know there's over a thousand comments on here, but I just have to say thank you for this!! Just got shaken down in exactly the way you described about 2 hours ago. Showed him the document about being a tourist and getting a warning and then another guy showed up, looked at it, and eventually they let me go! I would've been so scared if not for this but I kept it together and it was fine! Thank you thank you thank you!

[alexaristed]

Great video. Police corruption is endemic and been going on for decades in Mexico.
It’s a malady the government is trying to clean against all odds and we have to be part of that process by standing out ground and not paying bribes anymore.
I hope we all follow this advice and I hope my future life in México finds that beloved country 🇲🇽 better than when I left 36 years ago!

[rhmontg]

Thanks! We are planning/ hoping to move to Mexico soon, and your videos are some of the most helpful I have found

[zzhou]

Thank you for your video! So true when I visited Puerto Vallarta, I got pulled twice on the same day! The second time, I told the cop "your too late, the first guy already pulled me over" and they let me go!

[BACurious]

Great advice. When we were moving to Mx we got stopped in Puebla. We had been warned about the cops so knew what to expect. We ended up paying the bribe but they gave us a “receipt” which we were told could be used to pay no further bribes for the rest of the trip.