Bandits with Badges
PutaTester
West Coast. He who dies with the most memories wins.
For the first time in eight years coming to Tijuana, I was finally required for the first time to donate to the bandits with badges. A pickup truck with four badges stopped me for walking while gringo. They peppered me with questions, and I forgot the golden rule of holding my money in my hand while they search me.
I had just turned the corner from the Alley to Niños Héroes toward BT when they told me to stop. No reason for pulling me over. Asked me if I had knives or drugs? Where I am from? Where am I staying? Why am I in Tijuana? They wanted to look in my mouth for gold teeth.
One of them went through my pockets. My wallet was buttoned in, so they just felt for it and otherwise ignored it. It is fake anyway and only has a few dollars in it. From my left front pocket they took about $240 and left the money clip. They took the pesos (about $50 worth) from my right front pocket and put it in my left front pocket. I guess that they were leaving me cab fare. The pesos were also in a money clip that they didn’t take.
They missed the $200 that I had in a secret pocket and didn’t take my cell phone. Nor did they get the majority of my bank, because I left it in the hotel safe. Could have been a big loss, but I followed MOST of the advice recommended on the forums about dealing with bandits. Carry just enough money for the day. An expensive reminder, but fortunately not the major loss it could have been.
Xmas came early for them.
I had just turned the corner from the Alley to Niños Héroes toward BT when they told me to stop. No reason for pulling me over. Asked me if I had knives or drugs? Where I am from? Where am I staying? Why am I in Tijuana? They wanted to look in my mouth for gold teeth.
One of them went through my pockets. My wallet was buttoned in, so they just felt for it and otherwise ignored it. It is fake anyway and only has a few dollars in it. From my left front pocket they took about $240 and left the money clip. They took the pesos (about $50 worth) from my right front pocket and put it in my left front pocket. I guess that they were leaving me cab fare. The pesos were also in a money clip that they didn’t take.
They missed the $200 that I had in a secret pocket and didn’t take my cell phone. Nor did they get the majority of my bank, because I left it in the hotel safe. Could have been a big loss, but I followed MOST of the advice recommended on the forums about dealing with bandits. Carry just enough money for the day. An expensive reminder, but fortunately not the major loss it could have been.
Xmas came early for them.
23 comments
And yikes, this makes me nervous to even be out on foot in LZN. Where were you exactly? In the alley behind hong kong (primer callejón coahulia) turning on Av Niños Héroes? That worries me because that block around Hong Kong should be immune to police corruption.
You've now got me worried that simply crossing the street from Rizo to HK risks an encounter.
And as Ron alluded to, something like this makes guys want to remain in Hotel Cascadas/HK or Rizo/TB instead of going to the other clubs, just to try to ensure it doesn’t happen to them.
The couple of times I’ve been in TJ I felt safe. Safer than times I’ve been, for example, at the White Sox stadium, fashion district DTLA, Oceanside, Little Haiti, Bronx etc.
I would be real pissed if I lived in Socal.
From Mass, a flight to Germany is about the same price and same time inthink and although sessions cost more, the safety makes up for it I would think.
Sorry to hear this, PT
What time of day was it?
Did they ask for ID?
Or get a money belt that is easily hidden. PT is also right when he says only take the money that you’re budgeting for the day. I’d go a step further: if you’re at HK/Cascadas and you’re doing two arribas for each day, take half of your budgeted amount for the first one and the other half for the second.
Yes, they asked for ID.
It was morning. I had just turned out of the alley.
Holding the cash in hand is just the advice I was given. I assume it is because they want to get away before you realize that the cash is taken. If it is in your hand, much more obvious.
As mentioned, third time that I have been stopped in eight years, so I am writing it off as the odds catching up with me. It is just money. I wasn’t hurt or threatened. Got another trip planned in a few weeks. Not going to stop me.
A local friend said that the cops are starving.
Met a real hot sweetheart in CC this trip that I hope to molest again. Met another all natural beauty from Nogales in BT. Going to Nogales in a few weeks and hoping to connect with her.
...Sorry to hear of your encounter with the bandits with badges. unbelievable that they are the biggest single threat to our visits to Mexico,
Glad to hear that you had a great time nonetheless
I don’t do drugs that the doctor doesn’t prescribe, anywhere or at anytime (since college). Just no interest and not worth the risk.
Have fun in Nogales
I bought a travel money belt off Amazon when I first started going years back. It looks like a normal belt but has a zipper on the inside to hold folded bills. For the $15 it costs, it gives me a lot of comfort. My large bills are always in there or the hotel safe.
And to repeat, they didn’t have or give me a reason for stopping me.
Wandering by yourself the streets in TJ is never a good idea, especially as a gringo you’re at an even higher risk ( regardless of the area, trouble can get you anytime ). As such it’s always been a general rule for me in staying at one specific location/bar that I originally decided to visit in the first place, instead of bar hopping and wandering around solo because that’s when you become more vulnerable to these ‘ Bandits with Badges ‘.
Initially, I couldn’t see why my friend took a sharp left turn, but it was to avoid the police checkpoint and go through the military checkpoint. One of the soldiers spoke passable English and my friend is bilingual. They separated us. I was searched while the soldier kept saying, “I am not taking your money.”
Apparently, they were giving my friend a lot of grief. My girl was searched by a female soldier. She went through my ATF’s purse in great detail. My ATF carries pepper spray, a knife, and brass knuckles. It looked like the soldier was going to give her grief over the weapons.
After the longest 14 minutes of my life, they sent us on our way. My ATF said that if we had gone through the police checkpoint, they would have taken all of our money.