Seven Mexico & especially Sonoita traffic mafia cop experienced friends pulled over for “speeeding” in Sonoita during the last weekend. Two went to the extremely sham courthouse and still were fined $180 for not speeding. Something needs to be done. This is hurting Mexico.
I have been through Sonoyta dozens and dozens of times. I drive about 23mph with locals and zonies usually on my ass. Never been pulled over. I have seen lots and lots of Arizona plated vehicle flying through Sonoyta. While there may be 'some' police corruption, from what I have seen, most of the speeders got what they deserved.
I have been sitting completely stopped at a stop sign and had a “police” officer pull up and tell me he is giving me a ticket for not stopping. My wife was driving 15MPH and was pulled over for speeding so I say in my own experoience and that of many of my friends your “observances” are atypical. In addition, it does absolutely no good to “go to the courthouse” as the “judge” is as in on the scam as the “police” are. All in all it is bad for Mexico.
I agree it's hard to encourage friends to visit Mexico and Rocky Point when they're bringing home stories of getting shaken down by the Sonoyta cops after a fun vacation at the beach. There is definitely a targeted Driving While American thing going on with the cops down there, especially in Sonoyta. It's laughable when the locals are driving through stop signs and speeding past slow-driving Americans, right in front of the cops, and the cops target the American vehicles. For regulars, we know about the reports but for newbies, it's especially scary not knowing the language and what to expect. I always breathe a little sigh of relief when I'm through Sonoyta. After 20 years of regular trips up and down to Rocky Point through Sonoyta, we've only been pulled over once heading back to the US in the early morning. We were heading north right after the hilly bend and got popped in beginning of that long straightaway. Funny thing was I was already going slow and only going 25mph but slammed on my brakes out of instinct when I saw the hidden cop gunning me. He flipped his lights on and came after me. Gave him $60 and I was on my way in 5 minutes. Didn't want to hassle with it. (I know, I know!) I always set my cruise control for 22-23 mph throughout Sonoyta and count to three at the stop signs and haven't had any issues since then.
As many here do, I do the Sonoyta crawl driving 23-25mph. I know most of the Policia hiding places in Sonoyta.
The only time we were pulled over with the cruise set at 24mph, I repeated to the officer,
No Lo Creo, Estas equivocado, (I don't think so, you are wrong). After repeating this back to him 5 times as my response
to everything he said, he conferred with his partner and said Ok, tell the woman (my wife) to drive slow.
The 3 other times we were pulled over, guilty as charged, we followed the police car and paid the fine at the municipal window for fines/bribes.
Got pulled over yesterday in Sonoyta for not stopping at imaginary stop sign (crawling with traffic). $40 at the window. Ill be driving the dirt roads around on return.
Shame there isn't a bypass of some sort that would take you from the border to the other end of town and vice versa. I'd even pay a toll for that to avoid driving through Sonoyta. You definitely have a target on your back as a gringo.
pulled over the last 2 times down...guys was hiding behind some bushes.. I stopped at the stop sign and went and he jumped out of bushes and told me i didnt stop...was so pissed. Hate sonoyta. Crooks
Shame there isn't a bypass of some sort that would take you from the border to the other end of town and vice versa. I'd even pay a toll for that to avoid driving through Sonoyta. You definitely have a target on your back as a gringo.
It is known as the toll road on the Coastal Highway from San Luis Sonora to Puerto Penasco Sonora. Myself and many others regularly do 100 mph. plus and never get stopped. One hundred and ten pesos and the whole road is yours!
It is known as the toll road on the Coastal Highway from San Luis Sonora to Puerto Penasco Sonora. Myself and many others regularly do 100 mph. plus and never get stopped. One hundred and ten pesos and the whole road is yours!
JJ
That's great if you're coming from Yuma. Not so much coming from PHX when Sonoyta is your only option.
I'm thinking of just taking a movie on my phone when I cross the border proving stops and speed. Might just piss em off tho. I haven't heard of any violence from these cops yet. I have been warned by my mexican friends about that town. I've paid mordida twice. Guess that may change.
My wife flat out argued, told the cop he was a liar and a cheater and taking advantage of Americanos, she got very angry with the shit-assed cop and he got scared and backed down. I don’t think this will work fo American Men but we are filming everything now and posting our Sonoyta cop experiences online. The Sonoyta cops let the locals blow by us with no license plates on their cars driving 35045 MPH and not stopping for any stop signs while we get pulled over. It is pure BS!. I was 100% stopped at the stop sign just south of Vasquez Liquors and a cop walked up to me and said he was giving me a ticket for not stopping. I argued vociferously for a long time-maybe 15 minutes and it wore the piece of shit down and he finally walked off. F- - - them all!
I have been through Sonoyta dozens and dozens of times. I drive about 23mph with locals and zonies usually on my ass. Never been pulled over. I have seen lots and lots of Arizona plated vehicle flying through Sonoyta. While there may be 'some' police corruption, from what I have seen, most of the speeders got what they deserved.
This is the biggest crock of BS statement ever in the history of this forum. Read below.
We drive though Sonoyta at least once a month, usually more. I have found that my best friend I. Sonoyta is my dash cam. We always drive under the limit, come to complete stops etc and still have been pulled over a couple times. I politely ask the officer to look at the dash cam video with me either on the spot or at the station and have always just been sent on my way.
14mph and a speeding ticket. Nuff said. Facts hurt sometimes to those that have closed minds. Being 100% stopped at a stop sign and receiving a ticket for not stopping has nothing to do with speed.
Just to add my $.02. We've been doing the same thing now. Last 2 trips I don't even want to bother with the hassle any longer so we've been pulling out the phone camera and recording while we drive through Sonoyta. It's getting out of control. There have been ups and downs in regards to harassment in Sonoyta over the years but right now seems to be the worst. It appears they have free reign to do whatever they want. You would think wrongly targeting your only income source, tourism, would be a complete no no for even the bad guys but corruption is a cancer. Zero accountability.
It seems to me that this is an important topic and that quite a few travelers feels they have been unjustly stopped and/or fined. I'm not sure of the magnitude of the problem--because it is also important to be supportive of the police when real traffic violations occur. The town of Sonoyta no doubt suffers from some tourist resentment--hundreds of people pass through and very few stop to put revenue in the town I would guess. However, if police abuse is really becoming a problem, it would be important to gather accurate information--such as reaching out to travelers in PP with a survey, gathering dash cam video, and gathering verifiable anecdotes. There is a legal means and right to request and obtain information from the city in order to ascertain the number of violations in a year, and how they were disposed of. Photographs or video of the police officers who are the worst offenders can be gathered. A courtesy letter to the mayor of Sonoyta with a factual summary of the evidence and the issues could be written. And then if things do not improve, perhaps a TV station in Phoenix or Tucson would be interested in the story, but either way, the establishment of a web page for visitors with the information that was gathered, a place to record experiences and photos of the offending police officers would be an embarrassment and deterrent to illegal and corrupt behavior. However, someone has to organize and spearhead this project and I am guessing that no one who regularly passes through wants the exposure. I am sure that the police continue their course of behavior because they can.
It seems to me that this is an important topic and that quite a few travelers feels they have been unjustly stopped and/or fined. I'm not sure of the magnitude of the problem--because it is also important to be supportive of the police when real traffic violations occur. The town of Sonoyta no doubt suffers from some tourist resentment--hundreds of people pass through and very few stop to put revenue in the town I would guess. However, if police abuse is really becoming a problem, it would be important to gather accurate information--such as reaching out to travelers in PP with a survey, gathering dash cam video, and gathering verifiable anecdotes. There is a legal means and right to request and obtain information from the city in order to ascertain the number of violations in a year, and how they were disposed of. Photographs or video of the police officers who are the worst offenders can be gathered. A courtesy letter to the mayor of Sonoyta with a factual summary of the evidence and the issues could be written. And then if things do not improve, perhaps a TV station in Phoenix or Tucson would be interested in the story, but either way, the establishment of a web page for visitors with the information that was gathered, a place to record experiences and photos of the offending police officers would be an embarrassment and deterrent to illegal and corrupt behavior. However, someone has to organize and spearhead this project and I am guessing that no one who regularly passes through wants the exposure. I am sure that the police continue their course of behavior because they can.
Do you have any idea how you would get this info from the city of Sonoyta? I suspect this won't be easy, especially for an American.
Do you have any idea how you would get this info from the city of Sonoyta? I suspect this won't be easy, especially for an American.
I doubt you will get the information, but you have the right to ask. Over and over again. After many people ask and get no reply, that becomes part of the story. Here's the website for the city: http://www.sonoyta.gob.mx/ Here in Spanish is a list of things that are "public information" according to national law: http://www.sonoyta.gob.mx/transparencia/index.php Using these rights, a request pursuant to the federal law would take the form of what the budget for Sonoyta is and how much income is derived from the Police Department and how is it allocated. Also if you go down to the bottom of the home page there is a place to "communicate" which, if you click on it, opens up a box where you can ask questions or make comments. After you've been ignored or blown off, you can start making formal complaints. In addition, there is a tourist protection agency in Mexico called PROFECO (https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awr9IMwnvSVg1XkAcAhXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzQEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1613114791/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.vallartadaily.com%2ffile-complaint-profeco-mexicos-consumer-protection-agency%2f/RK=2/RS=zc1I4r_0UQbNcYSgA6342SidzVg-) and the only time I know of a complaint made to PROFECO regarding a condo purchase rip off in the Baja) on my advice, the complaining party received a nice response from PROFECO and an instantaneous refund of their condo purchase. PROFECO would be a place to file a complaint for police abuse if you had the proof and were not in the wrong. Threatening a complaint to PROFECO in an email to the mayor of Sonoyta might also get his attention. Do not embark on threats in Mexico against the bureaucracy unless you mean them.
In my over 25+ years of going to Penasco, averaging 8 trips per year (12-14 per year now with my wife retired, so 24-28 trips thru Sonoyta).
I keep reading all the posts here and on FB about the people telling their stories about getting stopped/targeted in Sonoyta.
Don't get me wrong, I am sure there have been many people pulled over going thru Sonoyta for traveling 30mph,
rolling thru stop signs and just looking like easy targets by the bandito Policia in Sonoyta.
Traveling through Sonoyta we have been stopped 3 times, in over 20 years.
Two of those times we were actually speeding and only once 3 years ago we were pulled by the Bandito Officer #18, that Jerry K,
alerted RPT members about a few years ago.
I laughed when he showed me the radar gun display showing 53kph, I told him "No Lo Creo", (I don't think so).
We were going 24mph or 40kph, with the cruise set at 24. I repeated No Lo Creo 4-5 times every time he pressed me.
He finally let us going with a warning, he didn't attempt trying to fear us into giving him any $$.
We have traveled thru Sonoyta 16 times since August 2020 and we have had zero issues with the Sonoyta Police. I never
exceed 23-24 mph and stop at the 4 stop signs I encounter on my route thru Sonoyta for a full 3-5 seconds.
If I get pulled over while continuing to do my routine, I will tell the officer, No Lo Creo and continue if he pushes it,
and see what happens.
I drove thru Sonoyta at 1:30pm today, zero issues for me, there were 5 cop cars looking for victims.
Bottom line just don't cave in if you have done nothing wrong. Just repeat "No Lo Creo". And see what happens.
No problems yesterday, cops are always at the bottom of the slope just as you cross, the state police wash their trucks down the street, you won’t have issues with them, they don’t enforce speed limits in town, although I have asked the nice officers to pay fine for me twice in Sonoyta. Also asked them to pay fine in Penasco couple years ago, it was a stop sign at the end of of the block on Josefa, then you stop again at the RR tracks. Believe me it pisses me off but a rather it end quickly.
Sonoyta has a strange relationship with Puerto Penasco and its visitors. For most land travelers, Sonoyta is just a non-optional midpoint between A and B. For first timers visiting Puerto Penasco, Sonoyta shapes first impressions of Mexico with all the new sights, smells and experiences you take in the second you cross the border. When the Sonoyta police pull over a family for driving 25mph on the long straight away on the first mile into Mexico, that negative experience builds a foundation of fear and distrust of Mexico that goes home to their friends and family and stays with them the rest of their life. Positive trip reports and vacation stories are critical to keeping Puerto Penasco and Mexico's tourism industry growing and reports of unreasonable police shakedowns of decent law-abiding tourists don't help. All it takes is one sketchy experience to redirect a family's future vacation plans away from Mexico. It's tough enough these days to convince some friends and family to come down and visit Mexico, but when something negative goes down to a visiting guest minutes in their actual drive into Mexico, it touches home fast. 40kmh is the posted speed limit and law in Sonoyta, but it is unreasonably slow and inconsistently administered by the police which becomes very clear when local vehicles tailgate and speed past any visiting vehicle. It's a weird feeling to want to get through a town as quickly as possible and have to drive extraordinarily slow to do so. Is there more the City of Puerto Penasco can do to to work with Sonoyta to support the easy thoroughfare for visitors since it's such a critical economic lifeline to Puerto Penasco? Politics and other factors will always be in play, but it sure would be nice to have more peace of mind while traveling through Sonoyta.
Toll road that peels off to the west right after you cross the border and connects to the highway somewhere around the old rodeo grounds. It's true that there are some houses along the border to the west and some mountains to be crossed, but it's doable. Currently Sonoyta gets all the tourist traffic and very little of the income. Charge a $5 toll each way and give the city of Sonoyta the revenue. Those who'd rather spend their $5 on street tacos can still take the old way. Any other problems you need solved?
We came back to Tucson recently, but on our way from Penasco, we were passed by a truck going about 90 mph. We hit Sonoyta and immediately decreased our speed to 24 mph, but about 1/2 mile into Sonoyta was the truck being pulled over by cops. I'm sure he was speeding in town as well. We have had a couple of tickets in Sonoyta, but now we drive the crawl, backing up Americans and Mexicans both, but we haven't had a ticket in at least 10 years, and we go to PP about 30 times/year (hopefully no more!)
We came back to Tucson recently, but on our way from Penasco, we were passed by a truck going about 90 mph. We hit Sonoyta and immediately decreased our speed to 24 mph, but about 1/2 mile into Sonoyta was the truck being pulled over by cops. I'm sure he was speeding in town as well. We have had a couple of tickets in Sonoyta, but now we drive the crawl, backing up Americans and Mexicans both, but we haven't had a ticket in at least 10 years, and we go to PP about 30 times/year.
Just a little side note...We live full time in Playa Encanto and just took our Polaris Ranger to visit Miramar for the first time. What a cool little community !
Well, it finally happened to us! Been traveling to RP for years! Had heard about the stop sign/speeding racket and got to experience it 1st hand yesterday! What a bummer! We had just donated to the Bombaderos, too. Asked for a drivers license and THEN explained we would have to go to the police station to get it back. A little different system than the US. Completely infuriating! They went into a whole explanation on how to use our speedometer in Mexico. "The red numbers are kph and the white numbers are mph." We were CREEPING along, completely stopping at every stop sign and they were coming up a side street, pulled out, passed the local behind us and turned on the lights. Unfortunately, we paid them on the spot. Yes we have been told not to do this but we've also heard it makes no difference to "go to the station. " Definitely left a bad taste after a terrific vacation. After we were let go, I thought "What would have happened if we hadn't pulled over? Would they have followed us all the way to the border? Has anyone ever just kept going? And what if you gave them your license and never went to pick it up?
Do they ever stop the shuttle drivers?" Lots of questions. A bypass with a toll sounds good to me, unfortunately the corruption would likely infect that as well. BF is headed back down next month. Hopefully his dues are paid up for now
Those of us who've taken Highway 2 through Caborca to get on 15 at Santa Anna have had no problems with corruption at the toll booth. If the extent of this problem begins to discourage tourism I could see the city of Penasco recognizing it would benefit from financial support of building an alternate route with a toll. But as long as we put up with it we'll keep getting tickets.
Just got back from RP after a week , got stopped in sonoita at a stop sign ,while stopped a cop walks up to the passenger side and told us we missed a stop sign, I pointed to my dash cam ,he waved us on . Whether was goofy with plenty of wind . Back in April .
Just a bit of current P Penasco Gringo rip-off in full bullshit mode.
Had two gasoline gouging attempts last weekend.
The Pemex at the circle on Freemont to Los Conchas: Stopped to top off my tank in my Jeep TJ for a trip out to the first estuary and do some Bucktail Spoon tossing at the super high tide, maybe get a Stingray or Sand Dab. Might have needed 1/4 tank to do it. Decided to play the dumbshit game and act as stupid as possible while supposedly not keeping an eye on the pump. Was talking to a friend filling up another vehicle. The pump already had a previous total on it and the Pemex guy stuck the nozzle in and just pumped away. I stopped the pump while he was screwing someone else. He came back and I and asked the pumper why he didn't zero it out. Said he did and I told him the Jeep tank didn't even hold that much gas. I put the filler cap back on and drove away.
The Pemex at the windmills: Stopped to top off for the trip home in my Ford Raptor. Maybe needed 1/2 tank to do it. Decided to play the dumbshit game again and act as stupid as possible while supposedly not keeping an eye on the pump. Was talking to my wife as she headed over to the store for some hwy home snacks. The pump already had a previous total on it and the girl stuck the nozzle in and just pumped away. I stopped the pump while she was screwing someone else. She came back and I asked why she didn't zero it out. She was SOOOOO sorry and restarted it from zero. I gave her my credit card when full and she gave me TWO receipts to sign! One for the rip-off and one for the correct amount. I would't sign the first bogus one but did the second one and drove away. Called the credit card company on the way home and stopped payment on the first charge.
Watch out my friends..........those people just want to fuck you any way they can.
The NEW Camaron Gigante restaurant on Fremont in Mirador: First time there. Ordered their "especial gigantic breaded shrimp plate" It consisted of a dozen breaded shrimp maybe an inch in diameter with a pile of crinkle cut papas fritas. Both from Sam's Club. Didn't see a single dish on the menu with fresh local product.
Cook for yourself. You won't get the shits and save mucho moneda.
Just a bit of current P Penasco Gringo rip-off in full bullshit mode.
Had two gasoline gouging attempts last weekend.
The Pemex at the circle on Freemont to Los Conchas: Stopped to top off my tank in my Jeep TJ for a trip out to the first estuary and do some Bucktail Spoon tossing at the super high tide, maybe get a Stingray or Sand Dab. Might have needed 1/4 tank to do it. Decided to play the dumbshit game and act as stupid as possible while supposedly not keeping an eye on the pump. Was talking to a friend filling up another vehicle. The pump already had a previous total on it and the Pemex guy stuck the nozzle in and just pumped away. I stopped the pump while he was screwing someone else. He came back and I and asked the pumper why he didn't zero it out. Said he did and I told him the Jeep tank didn't even hold that much gas. I put the filler cap back on and drove away.
The Pemex at the windmills: Stopped to top off for the trip home in my Ford Raptor. Maybe needed 1/2 tank to do it. Decided to play the dumbshit game again and act as stupid as possible while supposedly not keeping an eye on the pump. Was talking to my wife as she headed over to the store for some hwy home snacks. The pump already had a previous total on it and the girl stuck the nozzle in and just pumped away. I stopped the pump while she was screwing someone else. She came back and I asked why she didn't zero it out. She was SOOOOO sorry and restarted it from zero. I gave her my credit card when full and she gave me TWO receipts to sign! One for the rip-off and one for the correct amount. I would't sign the first bogus one but did the second one and drove away. Called the credit card company on the way home and stopped payment on the first charge.
Watch out my friends..........those people just want to fuck you any way they can.
The NEW Camaron Gigante restaurant on Fremont in Mirador: First time there. Ordered their "especial gigantic breaded shrimp plate" It consisted of a dozen breaded shrimp maybe an inch in diameter with a pile of crinkle cut papas fritas. Both from Sam's Club. Didn't see a single dish on the menu with fresh local product.
Cook for yourself. You won't get the shits and save mucho moneda.
JJ
Were we all there this week?! Damn! I'm depressed that I wasn't able to meet Steve M this week...
I have an incredible story about our drive home Wednesday morning. Almost killed a couple of Mexican armed forces soldiers at some poorly designated "checkpoint" at approx. KM 30 traveling N before Sonoyta at about 620am...
Drove south to Rocky Point through Sonoyta yesterday along with friends in two other vehicles at different times. No issues for any of us. Saw a few cops at the usual spots along the long stretch and a few driving around in town but nothing out of the ordinary. We did the 23 mph crawl and "count to three" stops at the stop signs and had no problems. The weather is beautiful in Rocky Point right now BTW.
Were we all there this week?! Damn! I'm depressed that I wasn't able to meet Steve M this week...
I have an incredible story about our drive home Wednesday morning. Almost killed a couple of Mexican armed forces soldiers at some poorly designated "checkpoint" at approx. KM 30 traveling N before Sonoyta at about 620am...
Been in Rocky Point for a month now. Camo guys southbound at the border have confiscated two small knifes from two of our friends. They were not over 4 inches. Camo guys just wanted them. 4 of our fellow rver's have been stopped and "fined". Yesterday our friends became victim. This last one was for "speeding" northbound heading toward the Red Cross stop. I was not there, so I don't know what their speed was. $180 gone. Reports of another rv near the Red Cross stop, same thing. There are more.
All of these folks are rver's and are retired and as a habit do not speed and obey traffic laws. We are not in a hurry to get anywhere and not their first time to Rocky point.
My point is, yes, they could have been over the speed limit, but none of these folks made it to the court house. They all paid their "fine" to the cop. At least one says that they could not pay a fine until the next day if they wanted to go to the station. I believe that's part of the scam.
So I agree. Were gonna do what we've been doing for 16 years here. 10k under the speed limit. 3 count at the stop signs. (my buddy says stop and say the lords prayer, then go)
Got the truck camera on the windshield going and now were also gonna have the wife filming on her iPhone the whole time.
Well, it finally happened to us! Been traveling to RP for years! Had heard about the stop sign/speeding racket and got to experience it 1st hand yesterday! What a bummer! We had just donated to the Bombaderos, too. Asked for a drivers license and THEN explained we would have to go to the police station to get it back. A little different system than the US. Completely infuriating! They went into a whole explanation on how to use our speedometer in Mexico. "The red numbers are kph and the white numbers are mph." We were CREEPING along, completely stopping at every stop sign and they were coming up a side street, pulled out, passed the local behind us and turned on the lights. Unfortunately, we paid them on the spot. Yes we have been told not to do this but we've also heard it makes no difference to "go to the station. " Definitely left a bad taste after a terrific vacation. After we were let go, I thought "What would have happened if we hadn't pulled over? Would they have followed us all the way to the border? Has anyone ever just kept going? And what if you gave them your license and never went to pick it up?
Do they ever stop the shuttle drivers?" Lots of questions. A bypass with a toll sounds good to me, unfortunately the corruption would likely infect that as well. BF is headed back down next month. Hopefully his dues are paid up for now
I always bring older copies of my Arizona DL's when i go down there. On time in Santa Ana outside of Magdalena i slipped an old DL to a corrupt cop who said I did a U turn but in reality I was parking my car. After my business was done in town I drove off and left. The corrupt cop walked away with an old license and now mordida.
I have been driving thru Sonoyta for over 12 years and always slow down there and even know the stop sign locations even if they aren't.
Never been stopped and never had to pay anything.
Like Queen of Kings said " Slow Down" in town.
I get more of hassle from the Feds after crossing the border than anyone else who love to look thru your RV.
Had a friend get stopped by FED and they found $10 walkie Talkies and said they were illegal in MX. LOL
She told them fine keep the junkie walkie talkies. She didn't want them. The guy gave them back to her and sent them on their way.
Seven Mexico & especially Sonoita traffic mafia cop experienced friends pulled over for “speeeding” in Sonoita during the last weekend. Two went to the extremely sham courthouse and still were find $180 for not speeding. Something needs to be done. This is hurting Mexico.
dirtsurfer said:
Seven Mexico & especially Sonoita traffic mafia cop experienced friends pulled over for “speeeding” in Sonoita during the last weekend. Two went to the extremely sham courthouse and still were find $180 for not speeding. Something needs to be done. This is hurting Mexico.
Beware. Have no doubt that there is at least one corrupt police officer in Sonoyta. I was robbed on broad daylight today by a police officer today, or at least a man dressed as one. I was stopped with my family on our way to Rocky Point for “not stopping at a stop sign” today in the downtown area. I did stop COMPLETELY. He said the fine was $2000 pesos, but he would accept $1000. I paid him and we went on our way, but with a very bad taste in our mouth for all of the family. Oh yes—he didn’t give me my license back either. We realized this immediately, but were glad to just get out of there ASAP and away from a corrupt cop.
This problem is worse than what is being exposed here. Last weekend our wives on a girl trip caravanned through Sonoyta at 15MPH with very strobg admonitions from me about stopping at stop signs and going extra slow. Three of the women were pulled over for “speeeeding”, two were pulled over for not stopping at a stop sign while they were completely stopped. The police are corrupt, bad, guilty and must be constantly filmed while you travel through Sonoyta. My friends are trying hard not to become violent but this is coming. Who the hell is the Mayor of Sonoyta? Who is the Chief of Police?
I have been driving thru Sonoyta for over 12 years and always slow down there and even know the stop sign locations even if they aren't.
Never been stopped and never had to pay anything.
Like Queen of Kings said " Slow Down" in town.
I get more of hassle from the Feds after crossing the border than anyone else who love to look thru your RV.
Had a friend get stopped by FED and they found $10 walkie Talkies and said they were illegal in MX. LOL
She told them fine keep the junkie walkie talkies. She didn't want them. The guy gave them back to her and sent them on their way.
Also had FEDS steal money from my aunt’s purse and steal an expensive pocket knife.
We drove north through Sonoyta on Friday morning at 8 am and only saw one cop (two guys in a parked sedan) halfway up the long stretch before the Buen Viaje sign. I didn't see any cops parked by the donation collection stop or at the usual Circle K and Pemex locations where I usually see them. It may have been too early for them to be out in numbers. One of our friends traveling down to RP last weekend saw a pedestrian Sonoyta municipal police officer standing discretely near the stop sign in central Sonoyta, just past Vasquez, watching for rolling stops.
At the end of last month we met the "pedestrian cop" at the stop sign. He told us to respect the laws and stop. But we were already stopped and my husband is Mexican, he saw we weren't worth the trouble.
I've given up on Sonoita. It's simply a gringo tax you have to pay in order to get to Penasco. They know that, we know that.
What can you do about it? Not much. I have cam with audio and have for awhile now. It's literally the only thing you can do to challenge the blatant money grab. Doesn’t always work because a school of sharks seldom eats one of its own.
Came northbound yesterday around 1pm, Was filming the entire time. Did the "crawl" at 30k thru town. 3 count at the stop signs. Wife filmed everything. Not sure if it would make a difference but not much else to do. A whole bunch of cars behind me. Oh well.
Seems the Red cross stop isn't there anymore. In its place is a medical donation stop and they moved that closer to town. The new donation stop is very near the intersection with September 16 street. Also, there appears to be a new speed limit posted at/near that new stop. Coming northbound into Sonoita speed limit goes from 90k, to 80k, to 40k and then at the new stop it goes down to 20K. Saw two cop cars. One near the September 16 street and the other on the final stretch to the border.
Saw one Guardia Nacional patrol car on the way nb. At the border, saw a whole bunch,(too many to count) of Guardia Nacional. (black and cam uniforms) .
Nobody stopped us. US border patrol said hi and about 30 seconds later, we moved on.
I know an old timer that spent a week in jail in Nogales for half a box of shotgun shells he forgot about in a cubby hole of his cabover camper. Incredible that they don't have the ability to reason what is a serious security threat to their country.
Drove thru Sonoyta today at 10:30am, we had a line with 25 cars, they were checking every 3rd car. We got the green light.
The Marines 100 feet south of the agent station had 4 cars pulled over checking them over, most were college aged girls.
Just before the curve, a police truck had a Mercedes convertible from Nevada pulled over, a woman had her hand out the window
with a bunch of $20's handing them over to the crooked Policia's. There were 3 more cop cars waiting for people, further south.
We just passed a slow truck and were going almost 85MPH when we passed just past the 2 bridges. And on our tail was 15 cars and trucks going easily 100MPH, all passed us and some passing each other, crazy times for sure.
Oh well.
Gas in Penasco is now over 21 pesos per liter. Cool and breezy today
Headed south mid afternoon yesterday. The line to get into Mexico was two miles long. Once I was in, no problem. Saw one trap lurking a half mile in. Took the bypass across the bridge. As I was approaching the main road, I saw a car go by, obviously speeding, with an illuminated cop car in pursuit. On the way out of town I saw the speeder stopped on the side but otherwise no traps on that side of town. Almost no one heading north.
Not sure what the writer meant but generally I think any officer that is not municipal or border is assumed to be a
“Federale ” be they marines or Federal police. Four more of my vriends received bogus tickets in Sonoyta over the weekend. Two were 100% parked at a stop sign and an officer walked up and said you did not stop. Utter bullshirt! Dashcams and cell phone videos help. My wife argued vociferously and very angrily with a Sonoyta officer and he finally relented and let her go-so did she break the law and the officer is not doing his job or was it just another bogus stop that was too much of a hassle to extort money from innocent people? Once again, we need the contact information for the chief of police and the Mayor, also good newspaper contacts (although they kill reporters regularly in Mexico).
I've given up on Sonoita. It's simply a gringo tax you have to pay in order to get to Penasco. They know that, we know that.
What can you do about it? Not much. I have cam with audio and have for awhile now. It's literally the only thing you can do to challenge the blatant money grab. Doesn’t always work because a school of sharks seldom eats one of its own.
Be careful out there. Seriously.
We call it the Mexico tax also but it is infuriating and now the scumbag “officers” want $150.
One solution is to get a duplicate drivers license and tell them you'll pay at the station, then hand them the extra license and drive to Penasco or head to the border. Remember to only keep $20-40 in your wallet with any other cash and cards hidden well. If pressed the Policia will take what you have in your wallet.
Yes they are scumbags doing this.
Does anybody here have a connection to someone in local media? Either Tucson or Phoenix. ?
TV would be preferable and most compelling.
It seems a story like this would be a great notch in an investigative journalists hat. They could set up in a van or in an suv adjacent to one of the fraudulent ticketing hotspots, and could videotape the shakedowns and theft. And then they could go onto Facebook or this site and ask for people to give personal experiences, and weave together a pretty compelling news story.
My thinking is that the more that this gets made public, and distributed widely, the more pressure those police, who are on the take, would be exposed. As well as the mayor and the local governing authorities who are obviously allowing this to happen.
The thought of TV dong a story is a good idea but I seriously doubt it would change anything. No one on the Mexico side really cares. People can say they will refuse to come to Penasco until things change but unless you could get thousands doing that it wont have an effect. It really gets to my sense of right and justice but I really can't see anything changing it since there is no incentive for it to change.
Does anybody here have a connection to someone in local media? Either Tucson or Phoenix. ?
TV would be preferable and most compelling.
It seems a story like this would be a great notch in an investigative journalists hat. They could set up in a van or in an suv adjacent to one of the fraudulent ticketing hotspots, and could videotape the shakedowns and theft. And then they could go onto Facebook or this site and ask for people to give personal experiences, and weave together a pretty compelling news story.
My thinking is that the more that this gets made public, and distributed widely, the more pressure those police, who are on the take, would be exposed. As well as the mayor and the local governing authorities who are obviously allowing this to happen.
Any thoughts ?
KVOA Tucson and FOX 10 Phoenix are probably afraid that they will get bogusly fined while driving down there to report LOL
I've given up on Sonoita. It's simply a gringo tax you have to pay in order to get to Penasco. They know that, we know that.
What can you do about it? Not much. I have cam with audio and have for awhile now. It's literally the only thing you can do to challenge the blatant money grab. Doesn’t always work because a school of sharks seldom eats one of its own.
Be careful out there. Seriously.
I used to go to Penasco through Magdalena and Caborca back when things were safe along that route because my wife at the time didn't have a visa to cross into the US. I would rather deal with Sonoyta cops then go through Altar/Pitiquito/Caborca and get our car taken from us by some Narco or worse get hit by a stray bullet being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Been in Rocky Point for a month now. Camo guys southbound at the border have confiscated two small knifes from two of our friends. They were not over 4 inches. Camo guys just wanted them. 4 of our fellow rver's have been stopped and "fined". Yesterday our friends became victim. This last one was for "speeding" northbound heading toward the Red Cross stop. I was not there, so I don't know what their speed was. $180 gone. Reports of another rv near the Red Cross stop, same thing. There are more.
All of these folks are rver's and are retired and as a habit do not speed and obey traffic laws. We are not in a hurry to get anywhere and not their first time to Rocky point.
My point is, yes, they could have been over the speed limit, but none of these folks made it to the court house. They all paid their "fine" to the cop. At least one says that they could not pay a fine until the next day if they wanted to go to the station. I believe that's part of the scam.
So I agree. Were gonna do what we've been doing for 16 years here. 10k under the speed limit. 3 count at the stop signs. (my buddy says stop and say the lords prayer, then go)
Got the truck camera on the windshield going and now were also gonna have the wife filming on her iPhone the whole time.
I've given up on Sonoita. It's simply a gringo tax you have to pay in order to get to Penasco. They know that, we know that.
What can you do about it? Not much. I have cam with audio and have for awhile now. It's literally the only thing you can do to challenge the blatant money grab. Doesn’t always work because a school of sharks seldom eats one of its own.
Be careful out there. Seriously.
It's hard to accept regardless but it's one thing if these tickets were $20 but $150?! GTFOH. $150 bogus ticket is a bad taste in your mouth. I would argue the people you need to persuade are business owners in Rocky Point. Or if anyone is cartel connected and we can ask the DON for his blessing to stop this madness... It's honestly ridiculous. It's a real tough pill to swallow when you watch MF'rs drive on the wrong side of the road but 38km in 40km zone is speeding!!!!! HUH. STFU. You're telling me that KIKO MUNRO doesn't give a F if this is happening? The problem is that the police are connected so there really isn't anything that can be done because if you remember.... CORRUPTION IS CANCER.
The google Playstore has a free app called Droid Dashcam that turns your cellphone into a dashcam. It has quite a few more options than simply using your phone's video recorder. I hear that using the "I have it all recorded, we can watch it here or at the courthouse" line works pretty well to end up with a warning. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.helge.droiddashcam&hl=en_US&gl=US
I have been through Sonoyta dozens and dozens of times. I drive about 23mph with locals and zonies usually on my ass. Never been pulled over. I have seen lots and lots of Arizona plated vehicle flying through Sonoyta. While there may be 'some' police corruption, from what I have seen, most of the speeders got what they deserved.
It's funny how people complain. They freely admit to doing 85 mph and being passed my most others going 100 mph+ but can't understand why they get stopped and ticketed by the police. Same law breakers complaining about enforcement in Mexico as in the US. As you get older, most people come to realize there is no rush. Speed kills, in Mexico and in the US.
It's funny how people complain. They freely admit to doing 85 mph and being passed my most others going 100 mph+ but can't understand why they get stopped and ticketed by the police. Same law breakers complaining about enforcement in Mexico as in the US. As you get older, most people come to realize there is no rush. Speed kills, in Mexico and in the US.
We live here full time and over the past year we have gone back and forth to Arizona at least twice per month. In the past 12 months we have been pulled over a total of 0 times. My personal opinion is that the cops in Sonoyta have plenty of people to pull over who actually were speeding to bother with those who aren't. They definitely shake down folks for mordida, but I honestly believe a vast majority were actually speeding or didn;t come to a complete stop etc. Yesterday we went back to Phx for Covid shots and on the way back here we saw 3 cars pulled over in Sonoyta and all 3 were Mexican plated cars, so it's not only tourists who get stopped. We have a dash cam on just in case but we also never speed or fail to come to a complete stop etc.
In the US all of us are used to speeding without consequence. How many times have you heard things like "you can go 5 mph over without getting a ticket" etc. I feel the cops in Sonoyta take advantage of our habits and supplement their income. When I go 40kph at busy times I inevitably have a line of Arizona plated cars lined up behind me. I can't help but think they'd be going over 40kph if i weren't in their way.
Our friends came down to stay with us and had a Sonoyta Policia follow them on their bumper from the 1st street south of the entry until after they turned off calle Septemibre back onto 8 again at 10:30am today.
They locked the cruise at 22mph and at the 3 stop signs they stopped did a 5 count. Finally the Policia turned to find an easier mark.
Our friends came down to stay with us and had a Sonoyta Policia follow them on their bumper from the 1st street south of the entry until after they turned off calle Septemibre back onto 8 again at 10:30am today.
They locked the cruise at 22mph and at the 3 stop signs they stopped did a 5 count. Finally the Policia turned to find an easier mark.
Hmm, sounds like they obeyed the law and didn't get stopped or cited. Imagine that concept......
Hmm, sounds like they obeyed the law and didn't get stopped or cited. Imagine that concept......
Dude STFU you're such a troll! You and Joan C are the only two people on the forum that can't understand that the police are not the good guys and regularly pressure and or down right violate people on false pretense. You think I speed through Sonoyta?! I go 18 miles per hour. I've been playing the game well for over 12 years and still have been pulled over for no reason.
But that's typical for you because life is so black and white, cut and dry. Everything for you is, well if you were doing what you were supposed to have been doing you wouldn't have been pulled over. Obviously it doesn't work like that.
Hmm, sounds like they obeyed the law and didn't get stopped or cited. Imagine that concept......
A friend this past weekend was pulled over or stopping at a speed bump. Not only are the police 100% corrupt thet are asking for $180 for a speeding fine-much higher than many speeding fines in the states.
A friend this past weekend was pulled over or stopping at a speed bump. Not only are the police 100% corrupt thet are asking for $180 for a speeding fine-much higher than many speeding fines in the states.
$180 for a non moving infraction seems about right... What a joke!!! You're seriously telling me that Kiko Munro doesn't care about this? The OPTICS alone are bad. He's in politics. Optics are everything. I would think that the OSV or whatever the tourism department in Penasco is called would certainly care. If there is a threat to the overall economic wellbeing of Penasco I would assume they would want to address those concerns. This gets taken care of through politics and back door deals. Maybe Sonoyta needs a percentage of the bed tax. I don't know but obviously the police have the cartel blessing to do what they're doing and the second obvious point is that the government is controlled by the cartel so naturally that is why we're at a standstill here and nothing will likely be done.
Just for craps and giggles, how much money do you think they pull in, in a day/week? I think it's completely realistic for them to pull over 5-8 cars a day maybe more on weekends... $150-180 per vehicle... They could be making $1k/day...
Way too much incentive to stop.
Anyways, in case "they" read this forum I won't say what day but in the very NEAR future we are bringing 4 N3WBS down, 2 of which have never been to Mexico and one of those watches way too much Fox News and thinks she is going to die. So in saying that, I'd really like to avoid any unnecessary BULLSHIT including but not limited to POLICE HARASSMENT in Sonoyta. If that happens I'm afraid this girl is going to break down into hysteria.
Our friends who came down on Sat, went home Monday, arrived in Sonoyta at 12:30 did the 23mph crawl without any problems.
10 min wait to cross into the US. We have 3 of our kid's coming down on Friday we'll see how that works out, but they know the drill.
My theory is that every reasonable impression in this thread is accurate. My favorite times to go through Sonyota is when it’s really busy and there are volunteer idiots flying through and drawing all the attention. When no one is around I crawl extra slowly and have the video running on my phone.
A friend this past weekend was pulled over or stopping at a speed bump. Not only are the police 100% corrupt thet are asking for $180 for a speeding fine-much higher than many speeding fines in the states.
100% corrupt huh? You have ZERO credibility just by that statement alone. You almost as bad as the joe nutbag.
Dude STFU you're such a troll! You and Joan C are the only two people on the forum that can't understand that the police are not the good guys and regularly pressure and or down right violate people on false pretense. You think I speed through Sonoyta?! I go 18 miles per hour. I've been playing the game well for over 12 years and still have been pulled over for no reason.
But that's typical for you because life is so black and white, cut and dry. Everything for you is, well if you were doing what you were supposed to have been doing you wouldn't have been pulled over. Obviously it doesn't work like that.
Our friends who came down on Sat, went home Monday, arrived in Sonoyta at 12:30 did the 23mph crawl without any problems.
10 min wait to cross into the US. We have 3 of our kid's coming down on Friday we'll see how that works out, but they know the drill.
Wait, they obeyed the law and didn't get stopped? Say it isn't so joe................
100% corrupt huh? You have ZERO credibility just by that statement alone. You almost as bad as the joe nutbag.
Here comes flamethrower Queen again.
You are the one with zero credibility. As in nada
The police are corrupt whether you flame throw or not. And IF you actually drive thru Sonoyta on a regular basis and IF you got a ticket, you would never post about it anyway.
You have nada for credibility Queen of Flamethrowers
100% corrupt huh? You have ZERO credibility just by that statement alone. You almost as bad as the joe nutbag.
Folks who speak in absolute terms tend to have minimal credibility so you're correct. Unfortunately, you seem to fall into that category as well. Your posts in this thread infer that there is 0% corruption. Just drive the speed limit and you'll be fine is your typical refrain. Clearly that's not the case.
You're effectively calling a lot folks on this forum a liar. Or you're calling people they trust liars. Odd why you'd choose to join a community, informal as it is, only to try and discredit everyone. Sure I'd imagine some people aren't owning up to their mistakes, but you're dismissing most everyone.
What's interesting is that with your own words you're supporting the rampant corruption narrative. You said earlier that whenever you drive through town you go nice and slow while others are riding your ass. Some of those folks behind you are locals. They're tailgating you because they know that it's not them the cops are targeting. If they can speed with impunity because the cops are targeting out-of-towners that's sorta textbook corruption. Locals zooming around is a recurring theme in a lot of the stories here. It happens in the States too but based on the anecdotal evidence from this community, it's a significant issue in Sonoyta.
Again you can trust in people or you can go through life the much sadder route.
We just came thru Sonoyta pulling the boat without any issues doing the crawl as many times before. But as we got to the first stop sign the Arizona ass the was tailgating us flew by us as we were sitting still. Did not see him again but if he got stopped Im sure they were picking on him. ??
Rocky Point Times newspaper has an editorial on this issue in the March edition. Apparently you can stop completely at a 4 way in Sonoyta but if you don't wait for cross traffic to COMPLETELY clear the intersection before you move forward, you get a big fat fine. And where else is that the protocol?These fines are not as much about creating safe driving conditions as they are about generating mordida.
