Mexico shoots itself in both feet again

[dirtsurfer]

I can't help but feel sorry for the Mexican people with regards to the arrest of the American mother on the bus that has made worldwide headlines. At the very, very best the Mexican police made an extremely poor decision to arrest this lady-or anyone for that matter just because a bundle of marijuana was taped under her seat. What molecule of evidence tied this lady to the marijuana? The police, prosecutors, judges & jailers should be taken out and horsewhipped before they are permanently fired for even considering that there was a case against this lady. I could tape contraband under the seats of several unattended busses and then retrieve the contraband at a preset time. Does that make everyone guilty who sits in the seat above my stash? This case is so ludicrous it is sad and truly illustrates the dangers of the Mexican penal system.

This incident is also a case history in how poorly trained the people are in the entire judicial system in Mexico. In Mexico you are truly guilty until proven innocent. Until Mexico radically changes there will be a drag on American tourism just because of miscarriages of justice like this.

I wonder how many innocent Mexicans are sitting in jail or prison on scanty or trumped up evidence brought forth by overzealous evidence gathering and prosecution like we have just witnessed?

 

[GV Jack]

I wonder how many innocent Mexicans are sitting in jail or prison on scanty or trumped up evidence brought forth by overzealous evidence gathering and prosecution like we have just witnessed?

Where here in the US or in Mexico or both?????

 

[garyd]

I can't help but feel sorry for the Mexican people with regards to the arrest of the American mother on the bus that has made worldwide headlines. At the very, very best the Mexican police made an extremely poor decision to arrest this lady-or anyone for that matter just because a bundle of marijuana was taped under her seat. What molecule of evidence tied this lady to the marijuana? The police, prosecutors, judges & jailers should be taken out and horsewhipped before they are permanently fired for even considering that there was a case against this lady. I could tape contraband under the seats of several unattended busses and then retrieve the contraband at a preset time. Does that make everyone guilty who sits in the seat above my stash? This case is so ludicrous it is sad and truly illustrates the dangers of the Mexican penal system.

This incident is also a case history in how poorly trained the people are in the entire judicial system in Mexico. In Mexico you are truly guilty until proven innocent. Until Mexico radically changes there will be a drag on American tourism just because of miscarriages of justice like this.

I wonder how many innocent Mexicans are sitting in jail or prison on scanty or trumped up evidence brought forth by overzealous evidence gathering and prosecution like we have just witnessed?

If I am reading this correctly you are saying in the USA if I was on a bus with drugs under my seat I would be let go without being detained, questioned and then a decision made as to if I should be let go?

 

[jerry]

Where here in the US or in Mexico or both?????

Dirt, I know it is Russ Black work to say "yes but you can get aids from hookers in Gendale too" after a bad strain of clap is spread from Calle 13 but in this case here is a real story. 1978 I was riding on a greyhound from Chicago to Seattle.The bus breaks down and bags are transferred to another bus.In Laramie wyoming a call comes over the loud speaker for me to come in to the station. I enter and am screamed at "hit the ground hippie"... Since I wasn't a hippy and was not up to anything (rare) I just stood there.....bam!,,,,,,,,, his gun fires and a bullet sizzles by my left ear (I can hear it like it was yesterday)
cuffed,beat up a bit and thrown into the City jail I find myself facing 7 years in the Pen if I don't confess right then and there.At this point in my life I had been beaten up by cops in Turkey,Peru and worse than all Southern Ohio so I said drop dead redneck.
a bag that had my name tag switched onto it and was full of bad Columbian weed no one would pay a cent for now had my name tag on it.It turns out the luggage guys in Chicago were stealing weed from bus passengers and shipping it out to Seattle to have other luggage handlers sell.A really smart old cowboy cop smelled bs and got to the bottom of it.I was release a week later,bought breakfast by the guy that almost shot me and given a train ticket out to the coast......our prisons are full of people set up by bigger fish to get them out of long prison stays. Never rode the hound again...

 

[Stuart]

Damn, dirty hippy... :rofl:

 

[Roberto]

I can't help but feel sorry for the Mexican people with regards to the arrest of the American mother on the bus that has made worldwide headlines. At the very, very best the Mexican police made an extremely poor decision to arrest this lady-or anyone for that matter just because a bundle of marijuana was taped under her seat. What molecule of evidence tied this lady to the marijuana? The police, prosecutors, judges & jailers should be taken out and horsewhipped before they are permanently fired for even considering that there was a case against this lady. I could tape contraband under the seats of several unattended busses and then retrieve the contraband at a preset time. Does that make everyone guilty who sits in the seat above my stash? This case is so ludicrous it is sad and truly illustrates the dangers of the Mexican penal system.

This incident is also a case history in how poorly trained the people are in the entire judicial system in Mexico. In Mexico you are truly guilty until proven innocent. Until Mexico radically changes there will be a drag on American tourism just because of miscarriages of justice like this.

I wonder how many innocent Mexicans are sitting in jail or prison on scanty or trumped up evidence brought forth by overzealous evidence gathering and prosecution like we have just witnessed?

You are way off base with these coments making them specific to Mexico. Stuff like that happens every where. Many countries are far, far worse. Call Jerry a liar if you want but it's a good example of a loose cannon in the US system. If you are 'different' from the preconceived notion of the enforcement officer or powerless for economic or social reasons, you are higher risk of abuse. Fact.

Again, the system in Mexico was pretty darn efficient and effective in this case. She's out, home and not complaining about her treatment.

 

[jerry]

Bob, I swear it's true..the best bad thing that ever happened to me...well there was the time in 72 at the Bayhaven Tavern in NewPort Oregon when Ken Kesey stepped my foot and poured a beer on my head

You are way off base with these coments making them specific to Mexico. Stuff like that happens every where. Many countries are far, far worse. Call Jerry a liar if you want but it's a good example of a loose cannon in the US system. If you are 'different' from the preconceived notion of the enforcement officer or powerless for economic or social reasons, you are higher risk of abuse. Fact.

Again, the system in Mexico was pretty darn efficient and effective in this case. She's out, home and not complaining about her treatment.

 

[Roberto]

As a guy who has been stopped and hassled for wearing a beard back in the early 60's I have do doubts about your story Jerry. Things were bad when I drove an old VW bus too. I could depend on patrol cars coming the opposite direction to make a 180 and pull me over. Increased trips by a long time too. Same when I was driving a TR2 sports car. That was a pain as I kept lots of spare in the trunk which they liked to sort through. Kept the parts greasy to discourage too much rooting around, which seemed to work.

 

[mexicoruss]

"Dirt, I know it is Russ Black work to say "yes but you can get aids from hookers in Gendale too"


I would never say that because I would never know!

I will say that I talked to the patrols at Benjamin Hill yesterday (the same point she was arrested at) about this American women getting arrested for drugs, he didn't know what I was talking about. I told him the story and his reply was "at this punto de revision (inspection point) we arrest people everyday. I told him a little more detail and he asked why she would be any different just because she was married to an American, the law is the law. The fact is she was innocent and found that way after the authorities investigated the situation. I am sure that if you contacted them (the authorities) and told them how ignorant they are for the way they handled the law in their own country, they would offer you an immediate apology and tell you they will try to handle it your way next time....lol

I now have a sign in my van that says "check under your seats" it helps ease the tension when we cross through Benjamin Hill - which I do very often. We got secondary inspection yesterday at BH and were cleared in a matter of minutes

 

[dry heat]

It is known that cartels have paid Americans (seniors and couples) to transport drugs into the US. Often times they will tape the drugs or hide them under an American (vehicle or seat). In some cases the American may be in on it but the thought is they will simply deny that they knew about it. The reward is maybe a few grand for simply facilitating the transfer without truly being involved in touching the goods. Ex. we are going to tape drugs under your car and pay you $10k. you will never see that we taped it nor will we ask you to touch the products. if you get caught you can deny easily and it is hard to prove you had anything to do with it. to some a few thousand for such a risk may be worth while since no one can prove they had known about it (ex. make it look like they were set up). who knows how often this happens when the 'american' actually knows about it.

 

[dmcauley]

And the real point is is that the woman holds duel citizenship and she is not unfamiliar with the laws. Her husband threw her under the bus when he told authorities that it was her seat not his. The mayor of Mesa cries out that she is a good morman lady, so what. I feel bad for her misfortune but remember, she was not prosecuted, only detained. If you don't like Mexico folks, stay home. Maybe you could shop in mesa in the wee hours and dodge bullets instead!

 

[dirtsurfer]

I was chuckling when I wrote my message because I knew it would only take a second for someone to relate their story about how bad the situation is somewhere else thereby justifying what happened. One of the very best ways to dissuade an argument or avoid the truth is to shift the focus of what was originally said. I never once mentioned the USA so do not bring it up and start your own thread about the dangers of the US penal system. Please focus on the issue at hand (although your stories are great!).

The bottom line is that with this media exposure Mexico will suffer. The arresting officers made a very poor decision and should be horsewhipped and then fired for further ruining Mexico's image and thus limiting tourism and hurting the economy. Jesus, would they arrest the entire busload of people if pot was on the bottom of the bus?

People like us will always go to Mexico. It is the tourist who chooses San Diego now instead of Mexico that hurt the Mexican economy. Arresting an American mother on BS charges only fuels the distrust and belief that Mexico is dangerous.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20130531mexico-governor-apologizes-mother-drug-detainment.html

 

[dirtsurfer]

You may be questioned but with no evidence connecting you to the drugs you would not be held for a week. Who the hell tapes drugs under their own seat in the first place?

 

[jerry]

yea but the sleazebags soldiers were trying to get a bribe of 5k...heck with them too

And the real point is is that the woman holds duel citizenship and she is not unfamiliar with the laws. Her husband threw her under the bus when he told authorities that it was her seat not his. The mayor of Mesa cries out that she is a good morman lady, so what. I feel bad for her misfortune but remember, she was not prosecuted, only detained. If you don't like Mexico folks, stay home. Maybe you could shop in mesa in the wee hours and dodge bullets instead!

 

[playaperro]

Jane Velez Mitchel and Nancy Grace still running around the Phoenix area? Interview and movie Please...Lol

 

[Estella]

truly illustrates the dangers of the Mexican penal system.

This incident is also a case history in how poorly trained the people are in the entire judicial system in Mexico. In Mexico you are truly guilty until proven innocent. Until Mexico radically changes there will be a drag on American tourism just because of miscarriages of justice like this.

I wonder how many innocent Mexicans are sitting in jail or prison on scanty or trumped up evidence brought forth by overzealous evidence gathering and prosecution like we have just witnessed?

I will try to be on topic and answer your question. This is going on every day in mexico and Mexicans don't like it. That lady got arrested by the military and not by police. These military men don't know much about legal system. That lady is native of Sonora and spoke with them, what ever she said made them arrest her and not her American husband. Law in mexico is very old and needs updating, for example if you are driving your friends car and he has drugs in the trunk and you don't know that, you are responsible and not your friend, even tho it is his car. Same thing on the bus, you are responsible what is under your seat. Tourists don't get special treatment in mexico. I agree that mexico needs to work on updating their legal system.

 

[dry heat]

I will try to be on topic and answer your question. This is going on every day in mexico and Mexicans don't like it. That lady got arrested by the military and not by police. These military men don't know much about legal system. That lady is native of Sonora and spoke with them, what ever she said made them arrest her and not her American husband. Law in mexico is very old and needs updating, for example if you are driving your friends car and he has drugs in the trunk and you don't know that, you are responsible and not your friend, even tho it is his car. Same thing on the bus, you are responsible what is under your seat. Tourists don't get special treatment in mexico. I agree that mexico needs to work on updating their legal system.

If you are driving a "friends" vehicle in the US and a police officer finds a few kilos of cocaine in the trunk, do you believe that you are let go and released on the spot?

 

[mexicoruss]

Everything is good and fair up north, no reason to argue it. In-justice has never happened and innocent people have never been detained erroneously. The reason is ....USA doesn't want to hurt their tourism economy.

 

[mis2810]

So in reality, and going forward, do you really think this is going to hurt RP specifically?

 

[Senor Pescado]

Mexico is in the process of moving their legal system to mirror the US system. The current system is slow and bogged down because it relies mainly on written briefs going back and forth instead of actual court hearings where argument is presented and a decision can be rendered almost immediately. In the criminal system they are also moving more towards the US criminal system - not that we are perfect but it is still the best system in the world. Currently, Mexican judges, lawyers, administrators and others are undergoing training by various US court personnel - much of this is happening in Arizona - in the late summer - a large group of Mexican judiciary are coming to Phoenix to train in MaricopanCounty.