Mexican Customs

[makobob]

NO DRUGS, NO WEAPONS, NO AMUNITION!!!!!
Done properly NO PROBLEMS. Rob and Bob went to Las Encantadas this past weekend to start working on the new fish camp at Las Encantadas. Just general clean up and sand removal. Nice weather and we got a lot done. Coming home we made good time and got to the front of the line at Tecate. NO DRUGS, NO WEAPONS, NO AMUNITION. We forgot NO EGGS, and NO PAPAS. You got it, we were pulled to secondary, BUSTED for eggs and potatoes!!!!! Took an extra 20 minutes, a warning and the loss of our unopened, sealed in shrinkwrap, packaged in the US and bought at Von's in Vista, EGGS and one potatoe, I hope someone enjoyed their omlet this morning. We still made it back to San Diego in 6 and a half hours, including border crossing!!! We laughed about it from the border to San Diego, but it was a lesson well learned, I usually pass that stuff to the locals. Be safe and enjoy Mexico. It can be PARADISE and sometimes good for a LAUGH.

Makobob

[Iceman]

I used to do a lot of quail hunting when I lived in SD and did a pretty thorough job of removing all the loose shotgun shells strewn throughout the back seat. My first trip down past Puerticitos with Tobey about 12 years ago and the federales found a single shell that lead to them looking hard enough to find 2 more. Talk about scared shitless, I thought i was going to end up in a mexican jail for sure. They were assured it was unintentional and that I had no weapons and let me go after letting me sweat it out for about 1/2 hour. They pointed at the Coca cola on my seat and I said help your self, they pointed at the little Debbie Snack cakes and I handed em that too. Talk about getting off easy! I was watching the rear view mirror the whole way to the Mexicali border.

[Baja_Traveler]

Yea, no kidding on the ammo - even spent casings.

A week after going through the Calexico crossing I discovered 50 rounds of loaded .204 ammo in one of my truck compartments that I'd forgotten about from a prairie dog shoot six months earlier. Really glad that nobody stopped me to inspect at the border. Good lesson for me though - I go through the truck with a fine tooth comb now before any trip...

[SDROB]

I always say no guns, no drugs, no problems however Im gonna have to rethink that. Im lucky the potato wasn't loaded!

[jorluivil]

The only issue I ever had was at a military checkpoint, I was on my way home from fishing in Ensenada. After crossing the last toll booth going north I was asked to pull over at the military checkpoint. They asked me the usual questions and also asked me to exit the vehicle. I exit the vehicle and as soon as I do they start going through every part of the cab, they even checked under the dash and checked to see if the door panels had been tampered with. While I was standing outside of my truck one of the kids, I say kid because he looked like he was 12, was walking around my truck banging on the panels, fender, doors, etc. with what looked like a broken car antenna. As soon as I noticed what he was doing he was quick to react and says, 'Tienes un problema'? (do you have a problem?). Being the tuff guy that I am I quickly responded 'no' and stepped away from the truck so that he could beat on it some more. He didn't damage any part of it but it was obvious that they were trying to intimidate me or get me to react in a way that would give them a reason to keep me longer or take me away. As soon as they found the cokes and water bottles in the ice chest things went much smoother.

The whole thing latest no more than 5minutes but it felt like I was there a lifetime.

[janines.fishtales@cox.net]

So can you not even bring a fishing knife, cooking knives, the leatherman that's always attached to my kayak?

Janine

[ful-rac]

Coooookkking knives are ok

[GregAndrew]

Janine, we were schooled in that question by one of the inspectors last time I crossed with Tony. The gal asked about the filet knives on the floor of his truck. We responded that they were filet knives, used for cleaning fish. To which she responded " Oh, so they are cooking knives?". We tried to correct her "No, they are used to clean fish". Her " Oh, ok cooking knives right?" To which we finally said, "Yes cooking knives". So the answer is that they are all cooking knives.

[SDROB]

"So the answer is that they are all cooking knives."

Thanks for the insight Greg! I have been wanting to take some filet knives down but was unsure of the policy. That makes perfect sense. I wonder if I could say the same for my Machete

[dorado50]

Take the "no risk way"......store all knives away from yourself. Pack them in suitcase or whatever and keep in back seat or trunk. Any knife found near you in car is subject to interpretation. Do it right or take your chances.

[tattuna]

I had a friend who got a great deal on some lobsters and tried to bring them back. Federales found them at the check point and confiscated all their fishing gear. When one of my friends started raising hell the federale said "If you want to make a big deal about it I'll confiscate your truck too!"

Another friend got caught with a pocket knife. Nearly went to jail but they let him go.

Know the laws and obey them and you should be alright.

[janines.fishtales@cox.net]

So if I used my Leatherman once to peel garlic, it's a cooking knife! Ok, I get it!

Janine

[walrus]

I had a friend who got a great deal on some lobsters and tried to bring them back. Federales found them at the check point and confiscated all their fishing gear. When one of my friends started raising hell the federale said "If you want to make a big deal about it I'll confiscate your truck too!"


It sounds like your friend got off pretty easy. Fishing regulations state ...

The permit covers sports and recreational fishing exclusively for catching fish; it does not allow the capture of mollusks and crustaceans as it is strictly prohibited. The Totuava, loggerhead sea turtles and marine mammals are under the protection of permanent closure and protected by environmental regulation, its capture at any time or form is a crime under federal law and punishable with jail.

Americans cannot take lobster in mexican waters. You said he had fishing tackle did he have a license?

[tattuna]

Originally Posted by walrus

I had a friend who got a great deal on some lobsters and tried to bring them back. Federales found them at the check point and confiscated all their fishing gear. When one of my friends started raising hell the federale said "If you want to make a big deal about it I'll confiscate your truck too!"


It sounds like your friend got off pretty easy. Fishing regulations state ...

The permit covers sports and recreational fishing exclusively for catching fish; it does not allow the capture of mollusks and crustaceans as it is strictly prohibited. The Totuava, loggerhead sea turtles and marine mammals are under the protection of permanent closure and protected by environmental regulation, its capture at any time or form is a crime under federal law and punishable with jail.

Americans cannot take lobster in mexican waters. You said he had fishing tackle did he have a license?

They did have licenses, but as you pointed out above, even that wouldn't have saved their gear.

I've heard other stories further south where trying to catch your own bugs will put more than just your gear at risk. Luckily you can always buy them cheap from the locals and as long as you consume them before you travel it's perfectly legal.

[makobob]

Originally Posted by tattuna

They did have licenses, but as you pointed out above, even that wouldn't have saved their gear.

I've heard other stories further south where trying to catch your own bugs will put more than just your gear at risk. Luckily you can always buy them cheap from the locals and as long as you consume them before you travel it's perfectly legal.

Actually, if you purchase them from the co-op, for consumption there it is ok, but you could still be in trouble if you got them from a fisherman, as all lobster BELONG to the co-op. There are cops all over watching the fishermen to keep them from selling their lobsters to anyone except their co-op. Sad but true.

Makobob