Newsflash...driving any truck towing any camper in Mexico shows you are a "rich Gringo". Just having a northern license plate from the US or Canada is all they need to see. Being on a Toll road in Mexico is NOT like being on I-35 in Texas. There are no State Troopers under the next overpass and you are still in a 3rd world country on the back roads. In fact the only ones on the hwy a lot of the time are you and the dudes waiting for you to come along. There is no help. In fact a lot of the police are just as bad as the crooks, (gasp).. And if trying to get folks to understand that Mexico can be dangerous to their health, then sorry. But I live here with Mexican friends and know the stories they tell and see the news casts everyday. If you are adventurous then fine head on down, but don't act all surprised that someone got held up at gun point. I am sorry for the plight of the couple and was not laughing at them. but if you're there then you need to expect that there is a very likely chance this was gonna happen.
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These folks from Alaska, where not targeted, because they are turistas, the truck was the target, the narcos, are targeting big pick-up trucks.
F-250's are the favoirites, they want them for cargo hauling, and to carry then gun men, and pretend to be Police, or Government.
I have this information, from my brother in law, he is the archictect, that built the Bolsa de Valores, " Stock Exchange", in Mexico City, in conversations with him, he has mentioned, that the narcos, are targeting pick-up units and big suvs, on certain roads, and in certain areas.
This was not aimed at these folks, I'm sorry it happened, the only advise, that I can ofer to all, is not to drive a truck alone, there was another insident, of a couple driving north with a truck alone.
If you are pulling a trailer, or 5th wheel, they know it is a turista, and leave you alone, a single tuck, on certtain roads, is a tempting target.
Form what I read, of the original post, I do not read, truck with a camper, truck pulling a trailer, so I asume, it is a single truck, also they did not kill the persons, so that is very good, was this reported to the Mexican Federal Highway Patrol, at the nearest toll both, or any Authority?
So please, to all nay sayers, do not bash a country, for a single insident, we have a lot ugllier incidents, this side of the border.
To all of you in Canada, U.S.A, and Mexico, Be safe.
navegator wrote: These folks from Alaska, where not targeted, because they are turistas, the truck was the target, the narcos, are targeting big pick-up trucks.
F-250's are the favoirites, they want them for cargo hauling, and to carry then gun men, and pretend to be Police, or Government.
I have this information, from my brother in law, he is the archictect, that built the Bolsa de Valores, " Stock Exchange", in Mexico City, in conversations with him, he has mentioned, that the narcos, are targeting pick-up units and big suvs, on certain roads, and in certain areas.
This was not aimed at these folks, I'm sorry it happened, the only advise, that I can ofer to all, is not to drive a truck alone, there was another insident, of a couple driving north with a truck alone.
If you are pulling a trailer, or 5th wheel, they know it is a turista, and leave you alone, a single tuck, on certtain roads, is a tempting target.
Form what I read, of the original post, I do not read, truck with a camper, truck pulling a trailer, so I asume, it is a single truck, also they did not kill the persons, so that is very good, was this reported to the Mexican Federal Highway Patrol, at the nearest toll both, or any Authority?
So please, to all nay sayers, do not bash a country, for a single insident, we have a lot ugllier incidents, this side of the border.
To all of you in Canada, U.S.A, and Mexico, Be safe.
I think it's all a hoax to be honest and here is why..
If I put myself in that situation.. knew them for all of TWO days out of your whole life? WOW! that is pretty unimpressive.. Why on earth would basically a stranger send an email with all the details of a horrific experience just out of the blue. They suggest it's because YOUR email address was the only one left.. I guess she searched her purse looking for any scrap remains of her previous contacts or life and to her luck found an email address belonging to you so what the heck.. Send the story and ask you pass it on to all her fam and friends? But wait.. Do you know anyone THEY know or is your job just to warn the world in general?
Anyone and everyone can think of at least ONE email address of one person close to them who would be better suited to recieve such an email.. I'm affraid you may be subject to a spoof.. I suspect the next email if you recieve one is going to ask you send some money to pay for something.. Just my two cents..
BTW.. I feel bad for the tourist industry in Mexico.. The crime down there will eventually destroy what I beleive is the bread and butter for many areas there. The good news is.. when the industry hits rock bottom and they attempt to clean it up, vacations will be dirt cheap..
Mike and Terri Church have a portion of their website devoted to incidents like this. What is helpful about their information is that they seem to have followup (i.e., incident reported to police, whether insurance covered losses, and things that could possibly be done to avoid a similar incident in the future, if any).
Here is the link Scroll down to "Safety and Security" and you'll see them all. There are trucks towing 5th wheels where the entire rigs were stolen.
What would be helpful with this story is to follow it through and some individuals posting here already asked some excellent questions such as whether this was reported to the police, whether license plate numbers were taken, etc. Otherwise, it becomes another one of those stories that someone quotes to someone else as fact and the crucial details for RVers in Mexico get lost - such as what we can learn from this, roads to avoid, types of vehicles and behavior to watch, whether the perpetrators get caught, etc.
I did a search to see if I could find this reported in the news and the only thing that comes up is this forum where this and one other similar story are described. Maybe someone else has found something.
I can't say I do or don't believe the story - but it seems that it is worth getting more information so we know the validity of this event and can make a decision about whether and where in Mexico we travel based on factual events.
If this is true - I am very glad that the couple and their dog were not harmed.
steelpony5555 wrote: Newsflash...driving any truck towing any camper in Mexico shows you are a "rich Gringo". Just having a northern license plate from the US or Canada is all they need to see. Being on a Toll road in Mexico is NOT like being on I-35 in Texas. There are no State Troopers under the next overpass and you are still in a 3rd world country on the back roads. In fact the only ones on the hwy a lot of the time are you and the dudes waiting for you to come along. There is no help. In fact a lot of the police are just as bad as the crooks, (gasp).. And if trying to get folks to understand that Mexico can be dangerous to their health, then sorry. But I live here with Mexican friends and know the stories they tell and see the news casts everyday. If you are adventurous then fine head on down, but don't act all surprised that someone got held up at gun point. I am sorry for the plight of the couple and was not laughing at them. but if you're there then you need to expect that there is a very likely chance this was gonna happen.
Okay well I would sure like to meet your friends. We currently live in conditions which allow for a lot of hearsay. Your friends maybe friends or family of those that belong to the cartels or just everyday thugs. They could also be people who listen to family members tell a story and we are all good at exageration.
As for what you have posted above about Mexican toll highways, you dead off target. Yes, there are highway patrols that sit under bridges, yes, there are patrols going up and down highways, not only federales but military also. Toll highways are of better quality, have little to no exits which make them safer.
I am not a casual rver here in Mexico. I have lived and traveled here for 27 years. Of those 27 we have boondocked for over 12 years all over Mexico and did so as recently as four months ago. As for work, I have driven in all of the northern states on a regular basis.
These incidents are real, unbelievable and quite sad. However, for the number of people traveling up and down Mexico's highways, the numbers are also quite small.
I prefer to tell the truth, and yes Bob (The Texan), I am sure I am the rver that you referred to who lives in the northern states who said on a recent thread "cartels pose no threat to rvers". I stand by it. You could have used my name I would not have been offended. Instead, it came across as very sarcastic.
I hope this thread doesn't get closed as we need to keep posted on what is happening. Those of you who want to make light of this and hahaha hehehehe, please do it somewhere else. Rvers are rvers no matter where they go and they all deserve our support.
Sorry Chris, but you thought wrong....check your PM.
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Did someone see the bullet hole in the windshield and the bullet,was there some injury from glass fragments that close to the driver?How did they get the money as it wasn't available from a bank machine,why wasn't it offered up first?It sure sounds upsetting.
As I receive more information I will pass it on. We have asked all your questions but have received no reply. They lost their computer and are relying on Internet cafes and I imagine keeping us all up to date is not highest on their priority list right now. I am sure I will hear from them when they get back into the USA. When I do, I will post.
This story is remarkably different from most of the others we have heard. These are experienced Mexico RVers, they are not "flashy" and they were on a Cuota highway. It happened in daylight and their truck was not taken. They were robbed, driven to ATM's and released, shaken but physically unharmed.
They did not ask us to notify their family as I suspect they phoned them. They asked us to notify the RVing community because we told them of our Blog and my activity on this forum.
Be assured that if I discover this is a hoax or I am asked for money, I will be the first to post that fact. I do not expect that to happen. These are responsible people. He was in the medical profession and she was a nurse as well as in city Government. I am not nervous about posting as they requested. They had our email as we had exchanged cards just two days before.
mayo30 wrote: Did someone see the bullet hole in the windshield and the bullet,was there some injury from glass fragments that close to the driver?How did they get the money as it wasn't available from a bank machine,why wasn't it offered up first?It sure sounds upsetting.
I don't know the answers about the bullet but she does say that in her panic she forgot her PIN for one of her cards. She had other cards that she did remember the PIN for and got $10,000 pesos which must have satisfied them.
I really have no other information other than the email.
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