BULLETS OVER BAJA: Attack Yields Grave Consequences

[DennisS]

Why would anyone go into Mexico, go through the back country in an RV with only a girlfriend and not carry some kind of self defense item at least well hidden in the RV. 200 trips? Can't tell me they don't know as many back ways in as the coyotes. A .44 mag is a great deterrent.

Taking a gun into Mexico is a very bad idea, you can go to jail for having one bullet in the car. When you get away from the border there are military road blocks where they stop you and look for drugs and guns.

I used to go down for a month at a time in my RV. I kept my RV in San Diego and would head down when the ship was in for the annual yard period. I used to leave my guns in my storage area when I went down. I went across one time and stopped at the campground in Ensenada. I was looking for something in the RV and found a brick of .22s (500 rounds), they went into the trash real quick. It could have got me a big time jail sentence in Mexico, there's a military checkpoint just south of Ensenada.

Once south of Ensenada I felt more comfortable. The border area is just bad news, the police are as bad as the criminals. The federales are worst of all, chrome pistols, cowboy boots and immunity.

 

[neil]

Going to Mexico at all is a bad idea. It's way too much of a crapshoot safety-wise. I've lived and worked there, and gone back for dive trips. I will never set foot in that country again. The fence can't be built fast enough or high enough for me.

 

[Skull]

Look going to Baja has always been a gamble. Before it was graft to the local cops...now its graft to the local thugs. Still haven't figured out the difference. What Ifind absolutely suicidal is the Mexican policy of sending their most ambitous folks north to work. We use them as slave labor, force them into gettos, force them to worktheir butts off and then steal for IDs so they can pay into our SSI ...freakin genius actually. But heres the kicker which forever has me scratching my head ...while all the ambitous ones are heading north the bums, addicts, hustlers and pimps stay behind. Meanwhile the Chinese are moving people into Baja and the central north coast region just like thay are doing in Angola, Zimbabwe and central Africa, Panama, Honduras and soon northern South America (Hugo careful what you wish for dummy) and eventually will out populate the local welfare cases. Within 25 yrs all of the Mexicans will be wondering what the heck happened to their country ... The rich ones will move back south in 40+ yrs to retire the rest will stay here and work till they drop dead ...harse but those my friends are the trends.

On a bright note ...Ensenada is absolute charming and La Salinas is my final destination for retirement ...If you can go it is truly a wonderful place and incredibly scenic and beautiful. Stay on the toll road thus avoiding the regular tourist traps frequented by gangster banditos -errr I mean federalies...

 

[Sam Miller III]

More of the same....

Race crewman reports latest Baja robbery

By Anna Cearley and Bill Center
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS

November 22, 2007

The violent robbery of an American family in Baja California early Monday morning is adding to concerns about safety south of the border.


The latest attack began about 1 a.m. when Chris Hall, his wife, Debra, and their 16-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter where driving home to El Cajon from the SCORE Baja 1000 off-road auto race, which ended Friday in Cabo San Lucas.
Hall said their 2007 Ford F-250 was pulled over by a black car with flashing red and blue lights and a siren as they traveled on the coastal road just south of the Playas de Tijuana toll booth. A second car blocked the path in front of them.

Hall, 42, is a truck driver and crewman who supports off-road racers. He was pulling an empty car trailer after assisting the race team of Andy McMillin, whose family is one of San Diego County's biggest home developers. The trailer was identified with McMillin's race insignia.

“I think they knew what they were doing,” Hall said of the assailants. “If I had been a McMillin, I think they would have kidnapped me.”

The assailants took the wheel of the Halls' truck, held the family at gunpoint for two hours, and then released them at a secluded spot on a mountain, Hall said.

The men stole the truck and all of the family's belongings, Hall said. It took the Halls more than an hour to walk down the mountain and find help. Mexican police took them immediately to the border.

The Halls filed a report yesterday with Mexican authorities. Chris Hall estimated the family's personal loss at $70,000. “But we're alive and I didn't think we were going to be . . . I'm counting my blessings.”

The attack was the latest in a series that has put frequent Baja travelers on edge.

Stories of at least six armed assaults have been shared by travelers through the Internet and by word of mouth. Some, but not all, of the cases have been determined by authorities as credible.

One widely publicized attack Aug. 31 involved a group of North County surfers who were stopped by a convoy of armed men who used flashing lights to pull them over on the road between the San Ysidro border crossing and Playas de Tijuana.

The surfers were forced out of their vehicles at gunpoint, and one was ordered to kneel and crawl as if he were going to be executed. The gunmen took the surfers' two trucks and other equipment.

In another publicized case, Pat Weber of Encinitas and his girlfriend were robbed Oct. 23 by two men wearing military clothing and ski masks at Cuatro Casas, a surfing spot about 200 miles south of the border. The assailants shot at his motor home and sexually assaulted his girlfriend before stealing $10,000 worth of computers, video cameras and other gear.

Baja California tourism officials didn't return phone calls yesterday asking about Monday's attack. But last month officials with the state attorney general's office in Baja California said they were working with other agencies to beef up patrols along the roads tourists often use to get to and from the border.

They urged victims to report such crimes immediately, but some victims have been afraid of file reports because they don't trust Mexican law enforcement officers.

Three people recently contacted The San Diego Union-Tribune to report being robbed by Tijuana police officers near the San Ysidro border crossing over the past six weeks.

Their complaints come amid speculation in the Mexican media that extortion and other misdeeds by police have increased recently because of an anticipated crackdown once Tijuana's new mayor, Jorge Ramos, takes office Dec. 1.

Authorities are unsure whether the latest accounts about attacks against tourists reflect an increase in attacks or that more people are sharing their stories with reporters or on Internet sites.

Robert Fishman, director of administration for the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, said he was robbed of more than $500 in cash by a group of Mexican police officers Oct. 13 after leaving a Caliente sports gaming site. He said the officers stopped him on a dark section of the pedestrian bridge that leads to the San Ysidro border crossing around 10 p.m. and searched his wallet and pockets. After they let him go, he realized the money was missing.

Fishman filed a report with the San Diego Police Department, which forwards the information to the U.S. Consulate in Mexico. However, he said the case appeared stymied because he couldn't see the officers' faces.

Fishman said he does not plan to go back to Baja California.

Hall is more adamant.

“I'm the person who has always dispelled the rumors about being hassled in Baja California,” he said. “I have always loved the country and the people. . . . Before this year, we had never had a problem, only great memories. But I'm never going back.”



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Anna Cearley: (619) 542-4595; anna.cearley@uniontrib.com

 

[Teamcasa]

Crimes against tourists is not new or unique to Tijuana.
Remember the hoopla when the German tourists were killed in Florida?
It’s a press thing. When a particularly heinous crime is reported, the other press agencies feel the need to have a different report in their next release as well. Crimes against tourists is well know in the Caribbean, Latin America in general, Europe, Asia and all over the US.

I think what makes Tijuana unique is its reputation for corrupt politicians, police and drug peddling criminals. That said, I make monthly trips to Tijuana and to date, no issues. I also take reasonable precautions. I don’t drive alone in the middle of the night and I don’t go anywhere near Ave. Revolution. I also don’t drive alone in East or South Central LA in the middle of the night.

 

[DennisS]

I wonder if the recent series of attacks are being done by the same group.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Baja Crime Taking a Toll

From Gene Kira's Mexico Fishing News and Sportfishing Vacation Information report:

MEXICO: Mike Steele, reporting as acting president of the 50-member San Diego Fishing Club, Home of the Outcasts, said club members would suspend their overland trips to fish northern Baja California locations due to concerns about personal security. "None of our club members will be traveling in the near future to Ensenada, Castro's, Camalu, San Quintin, or Bahia de los Angeles until Mexico can assure they have their security under control," Steele said. "We have already canceled several trips and have postponed any future trips indefinitely until we can be assured of safe travel."

MEXICO: Other Baja anglers reported decisions to stop driving in Mexico due to crime and safety concerns. One said, "No more driving the Baja peninsula anymore. Very sad. Baja will have to wait until the Mexican government cleans up the crime problems."

[Edited on 11-26-2007]
sdm

 

[Sam Miller III]

And still more--this morning

Victim Shoots Back
Gunmen open fire on Baja security advisor's home


By Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

8:20 a.m. November 27, 2007

TIJUANA – A large group of armed men opened fire early this morning on the Tijuana house of Alberto Capella, president of a state citizens' advisory board that addresses public security issues in Baja California.
Capella escaped injury during the 2 a.m. attack even though Mexican media reported that more than 100 shots were fired at the house, many of them aimed at the bedroom where Capella was sleeping.

Capella, speaking by telephone to Tijuana's XEWT-12 Televisa station, described how he grabbed a firearm kept in his home for emergencies like this and started firing back at 'dozens of people with luxury vehicles in attack positions.'
'I believe God gave me a second opportunity, and Ihave to take advantage of this and continue forward,' he said.

In Capella's role overseeing the citizens' advisory board, he has often spoken publicly in general terms about organized crime and kidnapping problems in Tijuana and the state. He has headed several state-wide marches for peace and in memory of crime victims.

Capella is considered a candidate for a top public security post under Tijuana mayor-elect Jorge Ramos, who takes office Dec. 1. Capella speculated that may have been the motive for the attack.

 

[Teamcasa]

Sam, do you read the LA Times? It happens all the time here as well. It's just old news to us.

 

[Sam Miller III]

Sam, do you read the LA Times? It happens all the time here as well. It's just old news to us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No I do not read the LA times, nor to I visit LA, but I do travel deep into to Baja often. It has been recorded numerous times that the Baja criminal elememt is targeting American Tourist. Young tender American divers and surfers are a prime targets.

Todays post from San Diego, where you and others can gleam a tremendous amount of Baja news...

Talks to be held today on ways to improve Baja tourists' safety
From today's San Diego Trib
By Diane Lindquist
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

November 30, 2007

After the number of Baja California visitors dipped over the Thanksgiving holiday, tourism industry representatives are urging state officials to take swift and decisive measures to better protect American tourists who have been targets of recent road attacks.
Tourism officials are scheduled to meet with state officials today in Tijuana.

“We want to make it safe for visitors all the way from Tijuana to Bufadora (south of Ensenada),” said Hugo Torres, who is being sworn in today as Rosarito Beach's mayor.

Torres, who also owns the Rosarito Beach Hotel, estimated a 30 percent decrease in the number of visitors to his city over the recent Thanksgiving holiday.

Data compiled by the state government from hotel occupancies showed a 2.5 percent drop in visitors to Rosarito Beach and a 2.7 percent decrease in Ensenada visitors compared with last year's Thanksgiving holiday.

Reports of at least six armed assaults on American travelers along Baja California's coastal highway in recent months have concerned frequent visitors, with many vowing never to come to the state again. Some, but not all, of the cases have been determined by authorities as credible accounts.

The attacks, staged in some instances by paramilitary-style criminals driving vehicles with flashing lights and sirens, could significantly hurt the state's tourism sector, which last year attracted 25 million people, including repeat visitors.

“Tourists that come to Rosarito, 90 percent come from Southern California, and they read the papers,” Torres said.

Some tourism officials say the attacks already have cost the area millions in tourism dollars.

“If we don't take care of tourism, it's going to go away,” said Gabriel Robles, president of the Baja Resort Developers Association. “It's going to take a lot of work, a lot of commitment on behalf of government officials.”

Baja California representatives have said several state agencies are working to beef up patrols along the roads most used by tourists, including Avenida Internaciíonal, adjacent to the border fence in Tijuana, and the 65-mile toll road from Tijuana to Ensenada.

Tourism industry executives, who have grown frustrated that more is not being done, sought today's meeting with state officials.

“We've reached a situation that has become very embarrassing for Baja. That's all we've been talking about for the last two weeks,” said Nico Saad, director of the Ensenada Tourism Board.

“Definitely, we need to clean things up,” said Jean-Loup Bitterlin, the board's president. “We're doing all we can to make sure the government understands the consequences of this.”

Saad, a former Baja California tourism secretary, said the industry wants the involvement of the federal government because it operates the toll road and oversees a tourist assistance group known as the Angeles Verdes (Green Angels).

“They only patrol during the day. We don't have any at night,” he said.

The industry also wants more exits along the toll road and better lighting.

“It's very dark,” Saad said. “You're better off using the free road because it's lighted.”

Federal government representatives will not be attending today's meeting, but Baja California's incoming tourism secretary, Oscar Jesús Escobedo, and incoming public safety secretary Manuel Diíaz Lerma will attend, tourism undersecretary Ives G. Lelevier said.

“This is the responsibility of the local and state governments,” Lelevier said.

Nevertheless, he said, a request has been made to the federal government to double the Angeles Verdes force from two to four, so that they can make 20 trips daily along the coastal corridor.

“We understand the concerns people have,” Lelevier said. “We feel confident that with the resources currently in place for visitors to get information and assistance, it should provide them a safe and pleasant stay.”

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Diane Lindquist: (619) 293-1812; diane.lindquist@uniontrib.com