YUMA, AZ (AZFamily)
— Jose Sanchez, who lives in Yuma, is sounding the alarm after he said he was stopped by Mexican National Guard troops at the Mexico-Arizona border crossing for playing loud music.
He said he was asked to get down from his car so they could inspect it while in line at the Algodones port of entry.
In the fifteen minutes that they searched his truck, Jose Sanchez said they stole twenty dollars and a coin that had just been awarded to him for his commitment to his job.
The incident has him questioning whether having these troops at the border is truly enhancing safety.
Mexico’s National Guard troops have been stationed along the Mexican border since February, as part of an agreement between president Trump and Mexico’s president, aimed at curbing the flow of drugs into the United States.
“I go back to my car, I see the certificate on the floor, right away I think of my coin, and I open it and boom it wasn’t there, ” said Sanchez.
Sanchez said he had gone to Mexico over the weekend to visit his mom at the hospital. He wanted to show her the award he had received in order to lift her spirits, but he never imagined it would be stolen by a guard at the border crossing.
He said a guard told him he was being stopped for playing loud narcocorrido music.
Sanchez said he doesn’t listen to that type of music, but believes it was used as an excuse to justify searching him.
Some cities and states in Mexico have been cracking down on narco-corridos, a genre of music known for glorifying drug cartels.
Sanchez was prepared to make a claim about his stolen property , but ended up not needing to.
He shared his experience on Facebook, and the post quickly went viral. It caught the attention of Mexican news outlets and even a national guard officer.
They have since reached out to Sanchez, apologizing for the incident and informing him that his stolen belongings will be returned.
While Sanchez believes one bad apple doesn’t represent all the Mexican troops at the Border , he says it’s important for people to be aware of these types of tactics.
“All I am going to say is be careful, and if something happens, go and make the claim,” said Sanchez.
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