Copyright greaterbelize
Transporting Vehicles More Dangerous Than Ever Car dealers make thousands of dollars on each used car they drive from the United States to Belize, but many are pulling out of the business because of recent terrifying experiences through Mexico. They are required to pay their fees to the legal authorities at the Mexican border, and a protection fee called a pedimento to the cartel before crossing. In years past, the pedimento was enough to grant one safe passage through Mexican highways, but according to car dealer Robert McClaren, a pedimento no longer holds such guarantee. Robert McClaren, Car Dealer “The pedimento actually used to be our safeguard that will secure that you have a safe trip through Mexico. But apart from the pedimento, roughly on that trip, in extortion fees was like nine thousand I spent throughout the whole trip. nI had like eight trips already, and each trip is worse. Honestly, each trip is worse but I mean it’s an obstacle that you face from the very fact that you cross the border. It’s a obstacle that you face from the minute you cross the border. Like the first extortion point was like five minutes. We just leave the border, five minutes up the road, two thousand you have to pay it. You just pay the pedimento to have the goods that you have secured, ten minutes down the road a next checkpoint. And these are not police checkpoint. These are regular civilians from the village, but of course they’re armed. They’re dangerous. We’re not from there. We gotta pay what they want and get out the way.”
