It's not a Mexican vacation until you get robbed by the Police

On our first night in Cancun, Jamie and I were amped up to go out. We had been traveling for 19 hours that day and had spent the previous several days in dirty, chaotic, stressful places. We showered, drank a bottle of cheap cane liquor, grabbed a couple of "road sodas" and then went out to the street to catch a bus to the hotel zone.

I knew we were not supposed to drink on the streets, but it was past midnight, not many people were out, and I did not think it would be a problem. To be safe, we wrapped them up in paper. Sure enough, a pick-up full of cops pulls up to the corner where we were standing and, despite our best attempts to play it cool, they were on to us like sharks to blood.

Three of them jumped out, each holding a machine gun, and told us it was against the law to drink in public. At first, I tried to say we had just arrived, grabbed a couple of beers, and were heading right back to the hostel. My attitude said "No problem amigo." Did not fly.

They told us we were going with them, so we hopped in the back of the truck. As we drove off, uncertain of where we were going, I sternly interrupted the mumbling officers to remind them that I spoke Spanish and understood every word, lest they do too much colluding in front of us. Not wanting to beat around the bush, I asked the officers what we could do to avoid going to the station. They chatted between themselves and replied that the fine would be $150 USD each. Aghast, I told them, truthfully, that we did not have that kind of money on us, to which they replied that we would have to go to the station and spend 36 hours in jail.

They drove us to a dark dead-end street and shut off the truck. At this point I started to get nervous/frightened, because they did not seem willing to budge and I was not willing to give up $150 so easily. Jamie and I openly discussed our options in English: He though we should demand to speak to someone from the consulate. I was certain that would not fly with these guys, and wondered if we should try and call their bluff about going to the station. I was, however, doubtful of our prospects for staying whole in prison if it should come to that. As I became more certain we would have to pony up, Jamie kept a cool head and decided we should just keep talking with them.

We decided to play up the fact that Jamie had lost his debit card (true) and was waiting for a new one in Cancun. The story somehow took on a life of its own and soon we were saying that we had both lost our cards, were living on our last few pesos and waiting for replacements. For a while, they did not want to accept this and said we would have to take our chances at the station, where, they made clear, things would be much more difficult.

I played dumb and willing, but unable, to help. Jamie said we should offer them the 2 beers we had left and a bag of chips. Embarassed at such a silly idea but willing to try it, I relayed this offer, adding that we could all go out for some beers like friends. They did not jump at the suggestion but did not scoff either, and the mood loosened up a bit. Ultimately, I said I would give them every last peso in my pockets, which came to around $10 USD, but that we could not offer anything else. They finally accepted, to my extreme relief. Once we had agreed, they frisked us both, obviously checking for more money. One officer found my wallet but did not notice my credit card.

True to my word, I gave them every last coin in my pockets, and Jamie threw in a few Jalapeno chips for good measure. They became friendly and smiling, and one officer even put his hand on my shoulder and told me how to get back to the our hostel. My elation at getting off so easy far outweighed the anger and frustration at having been outright robbed at gunpoint.

Our story is amazingly common. The very next night a friend of ours lost almost $40 to the police after they caught him peeing behind a tree. Another traveler reported that a friend of his was held at gunpoint until he agreed to go to an ATM for hundreds of dollars. I will concede that these situations usually are borne out of dumb decisions by travelers. Nevertheless, the impunity with which these armed robbers operate is truly unsettling and has no place in such a great country. Afterwards, I found myself worried about jaywalking, not wanting to give the swarming patrols any further excuse.

Despite the fact that, as many will point out, a public drinking ticket in the US would probably be more expensive, I'll take the rule of law any day.