Guadalajara - Theft from Vehicle by Police

June 30, 2011 7:30 am

We were stopped on the new Zapotanlejo Libre road that begins at Chapala highway.  This is the road that is part of the new GDL ring road system east of Chapala highway and the exit is the very first one on Chapala highway past the GDL airport road as you drive towards GDL.  

I believe we were about 8 KM down the road.  We were red lighted by a GDL police vehicle and pulled over.  They did not claim a traffic violation but said they were checking for guns because of our Texas plates.  We told them that we lived in Chapala.  

It quickly became obvious this was a sham stop so they could steal something see we started watching them as closely as we could.  They went through our luggage and one distracted me while the other stole a $230 Canon SD1200IS Camera.  We watched them very carefully and thought that we had prevented them taking anything but later we found the camera missing.  At one point while one cop was rifling through our bag, the other one distracted me from watching by trying to frisk me.  The searching cop was in the bag with the camera when the other one made his move.

No

These two policmen scared the crap out of us two old folks and I think the only reason they didn't really rob us was that I managed to not pull over until I got right next to a group of workmen on the side of the road.  They watched the whole thing.