There are many American tourists that get hassled for bribes by the cops. And most of them never get (nor want) media attention. They just never go back down again.
I’d be curious how many people get targeted by the police for shakedowns.[/quote]
Yikes! With so many potential risks, it’s a wonder there are any American tourists at all in these border areas.
We had a situation there over a decade ago when we were trying to get home from Mexico at night (long story, tried to get into a hotel, but it was full). We got stopped at a road block on a desolate road by a bunch of soldier-looking types with machine guns who searched everything we had for about an hour and a half, and then let us go. They didn’t ask for money, so might have legitimately been looking for drug smugglers. Still, it was enough to keep us from ever going down there again. It’s just not worth it.
There were multiple trips before when I was camping with family and friends down there, even in the 70s and 80s, and our tents were ransacked by Mexican “police” who stole watches, cash, and anything else that might have been considered valuable. Not fun. 🙁
