At the border

At the border

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Trying to plan our trip south. We will be crossing at Nogalas and have a loaded 5X8 cargo trailer in tow. We are hoping to reach Guaymas that day. Leaving from Tucson very early. Can you give us some idea of how much time we should allow for the aduana to inspect and clear us south. Basic household goods only on board other than Pictures,computer (Desktop) not laptop, printer monitor, camera with accessories. Guaymas is hard pressed for reservations during this period so somewhat important to hopefully develope a timeline. Traveling with an FM3

Rolly

Feb 27, 2006, 5:07 PM

Post #2 of 23 (2607 views)

Re: [Ron Jackson] At the border

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It's a crap shoot -- it can be anywhere from half an hour to several hours. There is just no way to foresee what the aduana will do when you drive up to their fiefdom.

Rolly Pirate

Feb 27, 2006, 5:38 PM

Post #3 of 23 (2600 views)

Re: [Ron Jackson] At the border

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Check Hotel Playas del Cortez in Miramar (Guaymas). It's huge and almost guaranteed to have rooms. Very interesting, but definitely over the hill, place. We stay there because they allow pets. It's really interesting. I'm told that it was built by Southern Pacific back in 1936. If you want to get a reservation there and can't find it, let me know by pm. I'll locate way to get reservation. It's fairly clean, and fairly cheap, though higher week-ends. Has a nice bar and a weird restaurant. Again, if you decide to stay there, let me know and I'll dredge up name of restuarant (Nice familiar - family - sea food restaurant) about 2 miles away where we eat.

As to time at the border, Rollie is right as always. Pray for a green light - no inspection, though that may not apply in your case as you have a trailer.

(This post was edited by dlyman6500 on Feb 27, 2006, 5:40 PM)

Feb 27, 2006, 7:18 PM

Post #4 of 23 (2581 views)

Re: [Ron Jackson] At the border

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One important thing to remember is that getting the green light at the border only exempts you from stopping for an inspection. It does not exempt you from paying any import taxes due. We got the green light a few years ago when we brought our enclosed trailer to Mexico.

I knew we had taxable items with us, so I stopped and declared them. The only thing they levied an import tax on was my desktop computer. In those days, only a new, unused computer could legally be imported. Mine was 2 years old. Using flexible ethics, I told them it was brand new. If they had asked to see the receipt for it, I couldn’t have shown it to them, or they might have mistakenly believed I was a liar.

I was taxed $170 US Dollars on the computer. They had a hard time deciding how much the tax should be. Today, it is supposed to be set at 17% for most taxable things, including computers.

At the next couple of army check points we were just waved through. If they had inspected out van and trailer at any of those check points and found taxable items that I had not paid the import duty on, they would have confiscated them, and levied a heavy fine on me.

Don’t just drive on through on the green light if you know you have taxable items with you. If you’re not sure, stop and ask them. Better to be safe than sorry. One Mexconnect member posted a few years ago that he lost a new computer and was fined something like $450 Bucks when they were inspected at an interior check point.

Rex

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

(This post was edited by RexC on Mar 2, 2006, 11:21 AM)

Feb 28, 2006, 5:08 AM

Post #5 of 23 (2555 views)

Re: [RexC] At the border

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Thanks for the posting. That was in the back of my mind when I posted about that I wasn't sure the green light was enough with the trailer. We stopped and begged them to check our stuff when we came through originally. I had a complete list of everything including serial #s, values, and everything. They finally agreed to accept some duty and charged my about $11 US. I only had a carload as the rest was coming by van. We never could get them to look at the papers for our animals.

Feb 28, 2006, 8:15 AM

Post #6 of 23 (2528 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] At the border

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As Rolly said “It’s a crap shoot.” You never know what is really required at the border until you get there. I never want to give them any excuse to hassle us later.

I had an experience similar to yours, with a list of small items with serial numbers for a Printer, stereo, small appliances, etc. They weren’t even interested in them. I had the guy at customs make a notation of them, and that they were not dutiable. After all these years, I don’t remember if he just referred to my list, or if he listed them on a government form. I had been stopped at one of those Army checkpoints before, and I had to completely unload our car for a second inspection.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Moisheh

Feb 28, 2006, 3:27 PM

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Re: [RexC] At the border

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RexC: The Army does not nor cannot enforce Aduana regulations. Neither can the Highway police, Federales, etc. Lately the Aduana has had a check point set up just outside Hermosillo. They selectively pull vehicles over and check the goods. This is mostly due to the new Free zone. They are checking vehicles. I have never seen a Foreign owned car stopped except Mexican Americans (profiling). The Army can do drug searches and does enforce immigration regs.

Moisheh

Feb 28, 2006, 4:05 PM

Post #8 of 23 (2473 views)

Re: [Moisheh] At the border

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You would be surprised at what the Army can and does do in this country. They can and have arrested civilians, taken them to a military base, tried them in a military court and sent them to military prisons and never notified anybody. They do have de facto police powers, and nobody messes with them. The civilian cops are afraid of them.

We have several friends that are Naval officers here. About 25 years ago one of them caught two police officers trying to steal his car, right in front of my Suegra’s house in Mexico City.

He pulled his service pistol on them. Those two cops were begging him to let them go, which he did. They knew that he could shoot them dead and as a military officer, nothing would be done about it.

I am not a newcomer in this country; I know what those SOBs can do with impunity.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Moisheh

Feb 28, 2006, 5:26 PM

Post #9 of 23 (2461 views)

Re: [RexC] At the border

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OK Let me rephrase: They do not legally enforce Aduana regs. If I were to follow your logic I would be living elsewhere!

Moisheh

Mar 1, 2006, 6:25 AM

Post #10 of 23 (2424 views)

Re: [RexC] At the border

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"You never want to give them an excuse to hassle you."

That's the beauty of it. They almost never hassle you. They almost never even check you. They basically ignore you. BUT NOT ALWAYS.

Therefore, law and order types such as I, always jump through the hoops just on the off chance that they will enforce the rules (If I can figure out what they are).

Of course, I occasionally bury some small item in my car or luggage, hoping that I can sneak it in. I have really given serious thought to just loading up my beautiful 6 foot diameter staghorn fern and driving on through with it. If they stop me and take it - I won't have it. If I don't bring it - I won't have it.

The main reason I don't is that I don't know what they might do, other than take it. I don't want to spend time in a "social re-adaptation center (what a great name) or the Tijuana Jail. Besides, its pretty hard to disguise a six foot fern.

(This post was edited by dlyman6500 on Mar 1, 2006, 6:28 AM)

Moisheh

Mar 1, 2006, 11:33 AM

Post #11 of 23 (2393 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] At the border

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I can see the Headlines: Fern smuggler sentenced to 4 years in Prison. You can bet you would learn to adapt!! Beans and Tortillas. New best friends. You would learn to make ships in a bottle or write names on a grain of rice. Just think how your newly acquired trade would help your future life.

Moisheh

Mar 1, 2006, 12:22 PM

Post #12 of 23 (2383 views)

Re: [Moisheh] At the border

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OK, I'll pass on the fern smuggling. I'm 70 years old. Wouldn't have much of a future life after 4 years in a Mexican jail (social re-adaptation center). As you pointed out I'd really be socially re-adapted with my "new best friends."

Now I remember why I don't smuggle stuff in. It's not being a "law and order" type. Its being a "cowardly lion" type and only moderately stupid.

Ron Pickering W3FJW

Mar 1, 2006, 12:26 PM

Post #13 of 23 (2379 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] At the border

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Welcome to the pride. Stay away from my females !!
Getting older and still not down here.

sfmacaws

Mar 1, 2006, 1:51 PM

Post #14 of 23 (2368 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] At the border

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You know, if it were my fern, I'd go ahead and bring it into Mexico but I wouldn't try it going north - those guys have no sense of humor or commiseration. Going south, if asked I'd tell them it was my mother's and that she told me to take care of it before she died. As a guy, you'd have even better luck saying it was your wife's dead mother's plant and they would immediately understand and let you through. I'm sure of it.

**additional thought. If it didn't work and you went to be socially rehabilitated, think how good your spanish would become. Talk about immersion language study!! Your vocabulary might need some cleaning up though.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

(This post was edited by sfmacaws on Mar 1, 2006, 1:54 PM)

Mar 1, 2006, 2:38 PM

Post #15 of 23 (2359 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] At the border

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Thanks, but I think I'll hire a tutor. Seems somehow more civilized. Anyone know where I can get a tutor?

The guys going north may have no sense of humor - and I agree they don't - but they are unlikely to lock me up for bringing in a fern. A Marijuana plant, probably.

Oddly enough, a trunk full of illegals - no. They almost never prosecute the driver of illegals. They just turn them loose. Wouldn't it be ironic, if they put me in jail for bringing in a fern and let the next driver go, when they find him with a whole clown car full of illegals.

My favorite border story of all time was one time when I lived in Las Cruces, NM. Being poor college students, we used to go to Juarez to get stuff for parties. One time, my wife insisted that we bring back some mangos. I explained to her that they were not allowed. No deal. We had to have mangos.

At the border I expected the usual, "nationality, what are you bringing back, etc." Instead, "Nationality. Are you bringing back any mangos." I didn't answer that question, but I did recite the whole array of stuff we had brought back for the party until Ihe was so bored he sent us on our merry with our mangos.

(This post was edited by dlyman6500 on Mar 1, 2006, 2:41 PM)

Mar 1, 2006, 3:27 PM

Post #16 of 23 (2343 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] At the border

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The way things are going lately, I’m pretty sure that a convicted fern smuggler will have his name added to the “no fly list” too Smile

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

(This post was edited by RexC on Mar 1, 2006, 3:28 PM)

Ron Pickering W3FJW

Mar 1, 2006, 6:38 PM

Post #17 of 23 (2323 views)

Re: [RexC] At the border

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After all, it can be dried and used in a bong.
Getting older and still not down here.

Mar 1, 2006, 7:43 PM

Post #18 of 23 (2310 views)

Re: [RexC] At the border

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I'm a very solumn guy. However, I'm sitting here laughing like an idiot. Maybe it's the tequila, or maybe it's your rapier wit. Must be the tequila.

Ron Pickering W3FJW

Mar 1, 2006, 8:03 PM

Post #19 of 23 (2304 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] At the border

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I remember once (a hunnert yrs ago) coming back into the US from Canada. My girlfriend had made me a roast beef, lettuce and mayo sandwich to eat while I was driving back to Tacoma. US customs guy said I couldn't bring meat and/or lettuce into the US. So I sat there in front of him and ate it while he asked the rest of his questions.
Boy was he p***ed. Guess his wife didn't make him a lunch that day.
Getting older and still not down here.

patricio_lintz

Mar 2, 2006, 9:03 AM

Post #20 of 23 (2271 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] At the border

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Phoenix AZ.: I sat in as a juror on a trial where a pickup driver was convicted of illegal stransportation of alien. It is a false conception that they do not prosecute. The driver was not guilty of the criminal conspiracy charge by virtue of a hung jury.

Mar 2, 2006, 10:40 AM

Post #21 of 23 (2249 views)

Re: [patricio_lintz] At the border

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I'm not saying they never do, but a recent series of articles in the LA times, including interviews with people who drive illegals through the border brought this to my attention. Some of the drivers - just small cogs in the wheel, earn $100 K per year.

The articles indicated that sometimes they do prosecute, but that they seldom do. They also indicated that it is only a misdemeanor offense - they are trying to make it a felony.

I was very surprised to read that prosecution is rare. Perhaps the articles were not correct, but they seemed to be.

(This post was edited by dlyman6500 on Mar 2, 2006, 10:42 AM)

Camille

Mar 2, 2006, 2:13 PM

Post #22 of 23 (2221 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] At the border

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This means there are TWO dearly missed six-foot staghorns NOB..... I have mine's picture to look at, but boy, was it hard to give it to a good friend! I'd have tried, but I was sure a three-day ride in a camper wouldn't be the best thing for it...

alex .

Mar 3, 2006, 6:28 AM

Post #23 of 23 (2179 views)