“Travelers Extorted”
The routes leading to the Tijuana airport—both the one coming from the Otay Port of Entry after leaving the United States and the one running from Zona Río and the hotel district—have become a strategic hotspot for extortion by the Municipal Police.
Residents of neighboring California who cross into Tijuana to catch a flight have become the primary targets of municipal officers. It is a common sight along the road to the airport to see officers pulling over—one after another—drivers of late-model vehicles with California plates. These vehicles often have luggage visible on roof racks, clearly indicating the occupants are heading to the airport to drop off or pick up a relative, or are simply returning from a trip.
The airport highway and Cuauhtémoc Boulevard have effectively become an illegal revenue-generating zone for municipal police. Officers view this stretch of road as a gold mine; they stop vehicles indiscriminately, knowing the route is used by tourists and out-of-towners who are pressed for time to catch their flights.
Harassment on the road occurs around the clock but intensifies alarmingly at night and in the early morning hours, as officers prey on those rushing to the airport.
Officers focus their illegal stops on late-model vehicles bearing California plates or those from other Mexican states, initiating contact by aggressively shining a flashlight directly into the driver’s face. These unjustified stops drag on for minutes, during which occupants are ordered out of the car, and luggage and trunks are searched. Officers use intimidation tactics, exploiting the traveler’s vulnerability and the complete absence of oversight from their own department, Internal Affairs, or the Municipal Comptroller’s Office. It is a zone of terror for travelers forced to use this route.
Source: mexicodailypost
