Copyright greaterbelize
Car Dealers Fight Off Mexican Extortion It is considered one of the most dangerous cross-border journeys in the world, but dozens of Belizeans put their lives on the line on an almost monthly basis to transfer used vehicles from the United States, through Mexico, into Belize. Contractors make thousands of dollars for the three to four days of driving, but each trip could be their last with both bandits and law enforcement officers looking to extort them along the entire route. This recent viral video shows a group of Belizeans standing up to Mexican transport officials who were allegedly trying to extort them. Robert McClaren is one of the brave men who stood up to the rogue agents. He says the transport officers were trying to confiscate their vehicles if they did not pay a substantial sum of money. Robert McClaren Jr., Car Dealer “What had happened is one of the personnels that was traveling along with us had a flat tire. When he had the flat tire, he did not cause an accident but could have. He ended up on the other side of the road to avoid injuring anyone. And then, probably a passerby, took the pictures and sent it to the transport security and they came. When they came, they said that we got an accident of a report. So we tell them basically no accident occurred but if it’s an infraction that was committed, write the ticket. We have no problem with you guys following us to the bank, paying, so you can confirm that you got the payment. Now they came and said, well, it’s not gonna work that way today. We have to give them fifty thousand pesos or we, all of us here, is going to go with them and they’re going to take away the cars. That was when we decided and say, ‘well da nine of we yo know. We can’t make them chance we so. Fifty thousand pesos, even if we try put that together, we will not get that’. When I realized one of the guys that was in the vehicle was getting my passport and my money, that’s when I started to panic. I said, because if anything unu won’t do is lef me ya. Unu could take the vehicle but not left me hear with no money to travel and my passport. Then I started shouted, ‘Robeye, Robeye, get the passport.’ And at the same time, the big guy jumped on the vehicle and said, ‘Unu noh wa take this vehicle here!’ When the police haul he down, he start put on a show. But the thing is like with all crooked cops, I believe they don’t like scenery. So if we never scenery them enough, we probably never would have been here in Belize safe because da that lee scenery when it down the police get involved. The police tell them they wrong. Police tell them they could’ve give them a ticket and let them go. They are in transit, no business to bother them. So they hurry say hear what we won’t give no ticket, no charge. We will escort unu and so you could go. And that’s how it actually end up peaceful in a sense. Nobody get hurt. The money that was stolen get returned. The documents and the vehicle get released. And by the grace of God, we reached safe to Belize.”
