Curb Kicked by the Mexican Military

avatar for PutaTester
PutaTester
West Coast. He who dies with the most memories wins.

The term “Curb Kicked” comes from my days as a Private Investigator decades ago. (One of the most boring jobs I have ever had.) We would be on a “sit” (watching a person of interest) when the SOs would roll up on us and give us grief, most of the time just because they could ruin our day. Sometimes it was because we were sitting on one of their own. These were usually Workmans’ Comp cases, where the subject was committing some kind of fraud on the State, faking an injury that they claim kept them from working. We would film them doing things that their claims would indicate that they were unable to do. One example was a probation officer who claimed to have injured his knee badly enough that he was house bound and claimed disability. We filmed him going fishing, which included his trailering his small boat, launching the boat, and loading his gear without limits. He came to court on crutches, where we showed the films. (Don’t misunderstand. I have great respect for USA police officers overall, but there are typically a few corrupt individuals in every organization. We were actually hired by the State to investigate these fraud cases.)

Anyway, an HK ATF and I had finished dinner in the Zona and we were looking for a ride back to my downtown hotel. (Couldn’t take her to a Zona hotel, because of their bar fines for having an HK puta in Cascadas/Rizo room. The other hotels in the Zona are shit holes; I prefer a nice room with appointments.) As it happed, a mesero that I have always liked, Ruben, rolled up on us and called out. He had quite being a mesero after eight years in the clubs, because he was so tired of the BS that has developed in the HK/BT clubs. Too bad, because he always picked outstanding girls for me. So he became an Uber driver.

Great to see him again and we got in his car for the ride to the hotel. We went a few blocks and he was about to turn, when he spotted a police “check point,” aka a robbery point sponsored by corrupt police. He aborted the turn and we went over the rise, and smack into another checkpoint run by the Mexican military, were Ruben was directed to pull over.

He explained the situation, that he has a fare and was taking us to our hotel. Further, he pointed out that I do not speak fluent Spanish. Before we got out of the car, my ATF told me several times to tell them that “you have no money.” We got out and the people with the big, automatic rifles called someone forward who has reasonable skill with the English language. He asked if it was OK to search me, like it was a question that might have had any answer other than “yes.” He directed me to raise my arms and he proceeded to go through my pockets, repeating that “I am not taking any of your money.”

Two problems. One that I could not deny that I had money, because he didn’t ask before searching, he just started going into my pockets. In addition, I did not want to be caught in a lie and raise his suspicions or give him cause to get nasty. Two, since it is not smart to flash a lot of money, I had my cash distributed in different pockets. Others have advised if stopped, take your cash and wallet out of your pockets and hold it in your hand, so the “authorities” cannot pick your pockets. I couldn’t do that, because I wasn’t given the chance; he just started digging in my pockets repeating “I am not taking your money.”

When he took his hands out of my pockets, I checked and it was the truth, he didn’t take any money from me. I looked over and there was a female military going through the purse of my ATF. I assume that she had been frisked (which wouldn’t have taken much, because she was wearing a short dress and she wasn’t wearing any bra or panties). I knew that she had almost zero cash, so there would be no loss for her. They might have taken her cell phone, but didn’t. The female military person pulled out a small canister of pepper spray that I had given her. (My ATF also carries brass knuckles and a knife. She has been attacked a few times, so she is well prepared to defend herself as necessary.)

He checked my wallet, which is actually fake, as it contains a bunch of old credit cards with my name and account information cut out of them. The logic being if confronted by a ratero, I could throw them the wallet and run. By the time they figured out that the wallet doesn’t contain anything of value, I would be 100+ meters away. (I learned this trick from a professional armed robber.)

I didn’t see them search Ruben, but I assume they did. And I doubt that he had much of value on him.

We were allowed to return to the car and proceed on our way. As we traveled, we saw other check points manned by the local police. My ATF said that we were very lucky, because if we had been stopped by the police, they would have taken everything.

I did start the evening with about $300. The rest of my funds were in the hotel safe, as has been advised many times in the forums. I was down to about $140, after paying a doctor bill and prescriptions for my ATF, and for our dinner. The biggest risk was if they had taken my cell phone. It is insured, but I didn’t want to go home and tell friends and family that I got robbed, because they would freak out every time I mentioned going south.

This is the first time I have experienced a stop like this in the six-plus years I have been going to the Zona. Basically, all of the streets going away from the Zona had some kind of checkpoint, so there was no way to completely avoid them. I don’t know what they were looking for. Clearly we were not cartel, which was responsible for the violence that occurred a few weeks ago.

I am glad that I took the advice to carry only as much money as you might need for the time that you are out-and-about. I didn’t lose anything, but clearly it is a risk.

10 comments

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avatar for Papi_Chulo
Papi_Chulo
2 years ago
Are you used to being outside the Zona and this is uncommon - or is it more common outside the Zona and you just weren't aware b/c previously you spend most of your time in the Zona?

One has to wonder if the best (easygoing) days of TJ/Zona/clubs are becoming a thing of the past?
avatar for Razarus09
Razarus09
2 years ago
Good thing Ruben acted quickly and avoided the police checkpoint. I don’t know if I’ll ever venture around the Zona, I am so nervous of something like this happening to me.

For me, it’s straight to HK from the border and back.
avatar for booji boy
booji boy
2 years ago
@Papi_Chulo:

Let's just say it's not uncommon outside the ZN, at least on the part of the police (getting stopped by Federales is uncommon, though). In or out of the ZN it's pretty rare unless you're visibly impaired, acting like a jackass, or talking up the wrong people on the street.

As for whether the best days of the ZN are behind us, these things go in cycles. I don't think anyone on this forum is plugged into the street scene enough there to know for sure. It's definitely a time to be a lot more careful than usual right now.
avatar for PutaTester
PutaTester
2 years ago
We were in the Zona, because it was late and it is where we knew that the restaurants would be open. The night before I had a room at Rizo, but I could not stay there with my ATF without paying a hefty bar fine. Hence why we were traveling from the Zona to downtown. First time I have seen roadblocks like this. I am guessing that two factors are causing this, the recent cartel violence and the fact that is was about midnight. Usually we are at our hotel before 10:00 pm.
avatar for san_jose_guy
san_jose_guy
2 years ago
Sounds like things have gotten royally screwed up in the Zona. All the rules have been changed, and even our expert has not been clued in on them yet.

SJG
avatar for Redbaron12
Redbaron12
2 years ago
Damn dude, that is crazy. One of the girls I was supposed to meet showed up a little after 11:00 PM and they wouldn't let her work because she was too late. She talked to me in front of HK and asked me to come to her place. She said it was next to River Square.... whatever that is? One of the mesaros said it was a few miles away. I don't know why I changed my mind right before I was going to leave. Getting robbed probably would have saved me money actually considering what I ended up spending at HK that night but I still would have been pissed. Glad they didn't take your money. But then again...... part of what I like about TJ is that is you never know if you're safe. Haha I love TJ.
avatar for azfriole
azfriole
2 years ago
Interesting times for sure down there right now. Glad it turned out well Puta. Until next time!

avatar for mike710
mike710
2 years ago
I had a similar encounter while just walking through the zona with a buddy many years ago. It was just about the time passport were began being asked for crossing back from Mexico.

We were stopped by a weapons carrying military officers and asked what we were doing. We responded truthfully that we went down to bet on a Monday night football game and check out adelitas after. The lead officer pulled the same "can I search you" line on me. I responded that I'm not in the US and you will search me whether I want you to or not.

He pulled us both to the side and proceeded to search. However, before he started he told us we had bloodshot eyes and pulled out a small bag of weed and said we looked like we are on drugs are were looking for people who have this while holding out the weed. I said we were simply drinking and don't have any weed.

Anyway, he proceeded to rifle through our pockets. I told my friend to watch and see that he doesn't try putting that weed in my pockets. I had about $200 and my credit cards and a business card. He interrogated me for 30 minutes about my life history and I told him about my work and being the the son of a father born in Mexico. I guess being honest and speaking in spanglish must have done trick as he let us walk away with what we had on us after the long interrogation.

I haven't had a desire to go back since. I'll just spend my in the USA.
avatar for twentyfive
twentyfive
2 years ago
I had a rough time with some Mexican soldiers many years ago when we were working in the vicinity of Matamoros, on the Pan American highway building cell phone towers, fortunately the construction company I was contracted to, had some armed guards with us, they convinced La Policia that they were Mexican Marines, moonlighting for Tele-Mex and they decided to let us through without searching us. It didn't hurt that these guys were national bad asses, and the Policia were local and our guards all carried Uzi's.
avatar for besmitty
besmitty
2 years ago
A couple trips ago, I was shook down by a national guard . about 3am, in the alley, i was walking to goto Cascadas for the night. I'm about 20-30 ft from the entrance and notice the national guard truck with about 6-7 guards in the bed of the truck. I get to the entrance and make about 3 or 4 steps in and one of the guards (only one who got out of the bed of truck) pulled me by my shoulder and escorted me outside the hotel. Patted me down, searched me, ended up taking my $30 ( i think it was like 33 bucks) that was in wallet but I didn't realize that until he let me go and went straight to my room, then noticed.... I was searched again the next day too but nothing taken. Then followed the next morning by 2 guards for about half a mile near revolucion until I walked by two street cops then they left.
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