Tips for newbies going to Mexico

[STAYHUNGRY]

I am a long time veteran of Mexico and have seen things change a lot over the years. While I am not going to give names, places,etc...I just want to tell all newbies to this game to be VERY careful when going to a foreign country like Mexico to buy gear. I'll give you just a few of the common scams that are going on as we speak so you can watch out for them. I've seen several newbies trapped in these in the past two weeks alone.


1. Scam #1-The pharmacy/corrupt police connection. There are certain pharmacies in certain areas where after you purchase your gear, they call a corrupt cop they know, the cop shakes you down, get's everything he can out of you and gives a kickback to the pharmacy for their help. No matter whatever ANYONE else tells you, buying gear in Mexico is ILLEGAL!!!!! Yes it is tolerated and if you know the game, you can do it, but don't be confused by boards or street hustlers in Mexico that tell you its legal. Corrupt cops can, and do shake down ignorant newbies daily, steal their money, their gear and sometimes worse. About ten years ago when I first went to Mexico, I ignorantly walked into a pharmacy, asked for Dbol(Ludwig Heun from Germany for any old timers that remember), and the pharmacy called a corrupt cop, who told me I broke the law and at gunpoint took me to an ATM and drained my account. And it's MUCH worse now. I know the game, been there done that and have people there now for me, but WATCH OUT!!!!!!!

2. Scam #2- Street hustlers. When you go to a Mexican tourist town, whether Tijuana or wherever else, a host of characters will pop out of back alleys and side streets, come up to you and say, "What you need? What you looking for? I can help you...whatever you want amigo". These are little time thugs and low lifes. About 50 percent of them will take you to a back alley to be mugged, 25 percent again are hooked up with corrupt police, and the rest have some ****ty pharmacy with fake gear. After they take you there they'll demand money from you for their "hook up", despite the fact that you got cooking oil in a vile with a horse on it from some dude named Jose. You'll get scammed 2-3 times with street hustlers. Believe me, the guys that have legit, good ****, don't need to street hustle, the players know where they are and they have more business than they can handle. They are quiet, don't ever advertise, aren't on main streets, give you **** in a black bag and say nothing.

3. Scam #3 - For anyone with sense, this will seem a simple one but amazingly newbies get scammed everyday on this one. It's the guy who offers to take your gear across the border for you and give it to you on the other side for $100. Again, for people with sense obviously you don't do this, but just know it is a scam out there, and needless to say you won't get your gear or your $100 back.

4.Scam #4- "Packing bathrooms". For gringos that have some gear they have to crotch or tape, obviously they need a bathroom. Most have common sense and go somewhere safe, but again for the newbies out there, there are several guys that offer for you to use their bathroom to pack, crotch and tape your ****. You give the guy 2 bucks and go in. 20-30 percent of the time either the guy is a cop, or brings over a corrupt cop. Don't be surprised when the bathroom stall door flings open and you're driven to an ATM to clean out your account.

5. I also suggest you not bring a hot girlfriend, at least until you know the ropes. I know, sounds fun, party with your chick, drink, pick up your gear and go home. However having your money stolen is one thing, but the things I've seen done to poor girlfriends of dealers or users by corrupt police is just frightening. I don't even want to talk about it. If you do get locked into a scam, don't have your hot chick there. It's a nightmare and you'll regret it the rest of your life and never be able to forgive yourself for what happens to her by the corrupt cops.

So to recap, be VERY VERY careful on your first few trips to a foreign country, especially Mexico. Many times nothing will happen no matter what, but just use common sense and protect yourself. Especially in Northern Border towns like Tijuana, there were recently new Mayoral elections, and new Mayors offered to get rid of corrupt cops,bowing to U.S. pressure, hence many cops were fired. However these cops are SWARMING Tijuana and various border towns, they still have their badge they kept and now they're source of income is hustling gringos. Be careful, very careful. This is coming from someone who's been around and knows. These are just a few of the current scams. Be careful newbies.

[pbjones81]

going there next week. thanks

[larry3436]

I was about a half hr. south of cancuun a few months ago . I bought alot worse things then gear there . My advise , stay away from street people . If thier not wearing shoes......i doubt there a good connection . Goto stores and ask merchants , thats what i did .

ps. Your crazy to try to take anything across the border......its not worth it .

[KeyMastur]

Although it may appear the street people are out to scam you, most are out to just make money. For those of you who haven't been to Mexico, it's dirt poor - especially at border towns. As soon as you cross you have poeple trying to sell you stuff - from chiclets (gum) to fake oakleys to steroids. On one of my visits across the border a friend and I followed a guy - to a store - where we waited for about 5 minutes until his friends came with gear. Everything we bought was real. I knew exactly what I was looking for, and how much the price should be.

Also, the guy who offers to take your gear across the border for you is not necessarily a scam. I've done it twice, paid the guy 100 bucks each time. It's worth it when the gear is cheaper. (This was all before I had a domestic source). But, you do have to be careful. I was nervous as hell giving him my stuff. But, followed behind him by about 20 yards the entire time. Never took my eyes off him. Did not give him any cash for his services until after I received my stuff on the other side.

Every price in Mexico is negotiable. Like I said the country is poor at border towns, so they just want the money. Talk your way into a cheaper price - make the seller come down.

[MER]

great post, very discouraging though.

[godsgym]

great post...gg

[bmwrob]

Great post... I just made my 1st trip to MX after Thanksgiving and everything went smooth. I did have one guy that showed me to 2 of the places I was looking for, but I had already researched them before hand so I knew what I was getting with them. But, as far as the legit places.... I had a list of about 12 places. I finally bought all of my gear from the very last place which was 7.5 km in land (roughly 5 miles), but the place was awsome... clean, respectable business. So, follow the above advice. Be cautious, but don't stress out too much or you won't be able to get your gear.

[juicehoe]

i was going to make a trip over the summer, but now its doesnt sound like such a good idea lol

[bignatt]

ive heard of some shady things going on in mexico

[TomsTwinTowers]

Although it may appear the street people are out to scam you, most are out to just make money. For those of you who haven't been to Mexico, it's dirt poor - especially at border towns. As soon as you cross you have poeple trying to sell you stuff - from chiclets (gum) to fake oakleys to steroids. On one of my visits across the border a friend and I followed a guy - to a store - where we waited for about 5 minutes until his friends came with gear. Everything we bought was real. I knew exactly what I was looking for, and how much the price should be.

Also, the guy who offers to take your gear across the border for you is not necessarily a scam. I've done it twice, paid the guy 100 bucks each time. It's worth it when the gear is cheaper. (This was all before I had a domestic source). But, you do have to be careful. I was nervous as hell giving him my stuff. But, followed behind him by about 20 yards the entire time. Never took my eyes off him. Did not give him any cash for his services until after I received my stuff on the other side.

Every price in Mexico is negotiable. Like I said the country is poor at border towns, so they just want the money. Talk your way into a cheaper price - make the seller come down.

My guy in Mexico makes us tack on 20% to the total price of my order. The 20% is for his runner that crosses the border with the gear.

[The Baron]

I am looking at a possible Mexico run next year. I can tell you for a fact, having lived on the border, that all this stuff CAN and sometimes DOES happen. Watch out for back-street pharmacies. The ones that see a huge tourist trade might not sell you gear, but if they do, they will be more likely to be straight-up with you cause they don't want a bad rep with the tourists. They get old folks going south for their cancer meds etc and tourists are a huge cash cow for the brightly lit, professionally staffed pharmacies that are near the bridge or border crossings or near major tourist destinations like markets and plazas.

I don't trust mules and I would never trust a mule who I didn't grow up with. Not for fear of being ripped off... the guy would much rather have your money than your gear. If they get popped, they will give you up and take a get out of jail and back across the border card. Some will actually be narcing for US customs or DEA. If you are by yourself, you got to keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't busted or doesn't talk for a suspiciosly long time with the customs guys. But if you are close enough to observe him, you are close enough to be quickly apprehended if you get fingered. Best bet, you talk to the mule and set it up and take delivery. A buddy watches the mule and gives you the high sign if it is cool to take posession.

BTW a drunk in a cab doesn't get checked nearly as much as Mr Innocent strolling across the border. Cops hate being puked on, etc. You just went over, got laid, (DO get laid so you know the name and location and the routine) got drunk (DO get believably drunk, but after you take care of business) IF you are carrying it back yourself. Make a dry run first just to get your confidence up. I say IF because hey, you are risking several years of your freedom. Of course if you are busted taking posession from a mule, they also get you for conspiracy, etc I guess so that would be even worse.

BEST bet is to live on the border, and commute twice a week for your shot. That way you don't carry anything back.

[LimitsAreNothing]

Good post guys, Scary but good. I think I will just place a order with a UG and sit in my nice warm apartment drinking protein shakes and wait for it. Thats Just me though

[Matt76]

That thing about the g/f just makes me want to hurt somebody. I just can't believe how horrible some ppl can be

[STAYHUNGRY]

One last thing,

Here's another thing that makes it dangerous.....These horror stories only happen about 20 percent of the time. Hence, an average newbie goes down, gets gear and comes back no problem. They then say to themselves, "Man all those boards were lying..this is so easy". Then they get confident, make larger orders. They get real happy with themselves, feeling like they found out "the truth" about Mexico and its totally safe. That's when you get popped! I know of one young dude I saw sitting drinking a Margarita with his gear sitting on the table..UNPACKED! He said to his boy..."Man, all that stuff you hear about TJ is bull****, they don't do anything to gringos, they just want your business". Swear to God, 10 minutes later I saw two corrupt sleazy cops walking him and his girlfriend to a back alley. I kind of stood there to see what was going to happen,and the corrupt cop came up to me and asked if I wanted to go with him also or walk away. I bolted but don't even want to think about what happened to the young dumb dealer and his chick. Now this is extreme newbie stupidity, but just points out that you should always be cautious.Never lose fear, don't let it cripple you, but don't ever lose it. Fear protects you when used in moderation. Like I said, been down there for 10 years and still have a healthy fear every step I take.

[calidude]

Great Post.

[muff-chaser]

thanks 4 the advice!!!!! i asked one of my mexican friends the other day about buying roids in mexico,he says that one thing about me being white was that they would try to make me pay with dollars but if he went in there that he could pay with pesos. basically he would get the gear cheaper....

[STAYHUNGRY]

Since this guy brough up the topic, I will let any of you who don't already know that the converstion rate of dollars to pesos is roughly 11.5 pesos to one dollar. Economic changes make this rate fluctuate frequently, but it is ALWAYS around 11.5/1. Thus is you have an American dollar, you have 11.5 pesos. If you ever are in the position that you have to go to an ATM, most only give out money in pesos. The choices will be 50 pesos, 100 pesos, 500 pesos, 1000 pesos, 1500 pesos, and so on. 50 pesos is about $4.50 U.S. $1500 pesos right now is $135.50(I just made a withdrawal Monday in mexico for 1500 pesos and it read on my bank statement as $135.50). 90 percent of gringos pay in dollars, just because they are uncomfortable converting back and forth and negotiating in pesos. However your friend is partially right that you can get slightly better deals paying in Pesos. However for a newbie, you also can get ripped off as you don't know how to convert properly. Now I'll give a little tidbit to newbies and others about Tijuana that not many know about. There is ONE ATM in Tijuana that gives out American dollars. It is located at....drumroll....the AM/PM mini mart next to the Jai Alai Club on upper Revolution Street. If you have to use an ATM and want American cash, that's the one. Ok, no more of my secrets. Just be careful anyone heading down.

[Scooby1]

I come down here almost every break from school I get. I have NEVER had a problem. Speaking fluent spanish will help, as well as staying away from the border towns. I, most times, spend the night in Tucson AZ, and then don't stop to sleep again till I am at least 500 miles from the border. When you make a trip down AVOID JUAREZ!! I am not a fan of that city/rat hole what-so-ever. Travel light, have all your papers, and before leaving make sure you know all of your rights as a US citizen there. If driving-obtain a "permiso" (permission) for your vehicle if passing more than 20 miles into MX. There are good and bad people everywhere. MX is the same as the US- its more dangerous being a tourist in a large town, rather than a smaller kind(exception is border towns.) BE SAFE and USE YOUR HEAD.

[anabolic_king]

that post is about as far off as you can get...in general, not talking about steroids or drugs...mexicans are not out to get the white man....it might have been more like this guys crazies storied in the 70's...but its cleaned up allot in recent years...it seems like everyone hears the same horror stories...steroids are legal to purchase in most places in mexico...its just illegal to smuggle them, and the cops can stop you if they think you are smuggling....THEY ARE LEGAL HOWEVER......
I guess im hispanic so i have a different view...just go with somebody that knows spanish and be smart and you will be fine....

[AG5678]

roids are legal in MX

[zodiac66]

Wow, none of that has ever happened to me.
Zodiacs tip: go with a friend who is fluent in spanish, only go to the vets, spend some time in TJ, go eat, have some dinner/lunch. Take the bus there, don't dress flashy or wear jewelry.

[STAYHUNGRY]

To tell people that there is nothing to be concerned about when going down to MEXICO is irresponsible and foolish. As I posted before, bad stuff happens about 20 percent of the time. Your are the type of newbie that I talked about, that went down, had no problems and now thinks he knows the game. You are so ripe to get popped by corrupt police it's not even funny.
As far as the legal status of steroids, under that Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990, Steroids were classified as a schedule 3, controlled substance, same as Vicodin. This means they are ILLEGAL to purchase in Mexico. The fact that you walked into a pharmacy and had no problem buying and Hector behind the counter told you it' s perfectly legal means nothing! Again, if you read my post I said it's tolerated and if cautious can be done. This does not hide the fact that it is ILLEGAL technically and if you got hustled by a corrupt cop that's what they would get you for. Oh man, I'm done. Forget it, you try to help some people and point out some good advice, and 19 year old newbie has to bash you, saying there's nothing to worry about going to Mexico. God it's just so tiresome. Anyone reading, ignore the last two posts and be cautious when going to ANY foreign country to purchase illegal drugs. I won't post again on it, it's not worth trying to help.

[UNF12345]

great thread

[LittleNate]

definitly good reading for anyone considering to travel to mexico to buy

[Scooby1]

I know for a fact that whrn I go into a vet store they give a black bag and put the roids in it. I asked a really good friend why that was-he porceeded to tell me that it IS ILLEGAL to possess steroids. He lives there year round-born there, everything. He WOULD NOT lie. Just some more advice. Don't come down here and think you are a FVCKIN american and you can do whatever the h*ll you want. Be smart and don't put yourself in a position where you or someone you love could get hurt. I am speaking from expirence-Don't dress nice.

[phwSSJ]

STAYHUNGRY IS RIGHT... MEXICO IS RISKY BUSINESS.
Unless you really, really, really know what you are doing then never try to get gear from a border town. If you want to take the risk then you better bring some KY, cuz you will need it. Border towns might seem convenient but you prety much are asking for it. Although I have never used AS I have been around them and experienced lots first hand.
Two spring breaks ago, my buddies and I went to south padre, We decided to cross the border in a taxi and go have some fun. One of my buddies started asking around about AS, this one guy told him he could hook him up, so he was like "cool, all right" we followed him for a while, I started to get a bad feeling, next thing we knew, we were up against the wall geting shaken down, cops took everything we had (five of us), cell phones money watches, one of my bros was like " hey man why you doing this to us, we didnt do nothing" cops were like "you got a problem?" ...long st shrt.. my bro kept trying to reason, they threw him in jail. Taxi left us, and we had to go to the border checkpiont and BEGG people for money to get our buddy out and to get us back to padre.
I would think you would be safer deeper inside Mexico but not for sure. because for the most part.. it is known that, besides the people that live there and work honest livings, border towns are for illegal sh-t, hookers, drugs, etc. and when you deal with those people well............

[Fat Guy]

There are many good points on this thread. I go to TJ all the time to get my juice and every time I go, it is always sketchy as fuk. When I go, I never deal with anyone who is trying to solicit me or tell me they got the hook up. My rule of thumb is to go to places that tend to be bigger and more established looking (i.e. big store principle, not some back ally operation). I also tend to dress down and tend to keep a low profile. I think the most important thing when I go on my trips is to be very aware of my surroundings. I usually take a friend who keeps a distance from me but keeps an eye on me and any out of the norm activity, such as large groups of guys or cops heading my way. Remember, there are some scary things that can happen in Mexico so always be aware of what is going on around you. Good Luck for anyone who takes the trip.

[anabolic_king]

no bad stuff doesnt happen 20 percent of the time...i am mexican as a matter of fact, so i wouldnt consider myself a newbie to mexico STAYHUNGRY...just because you watched some movies about mexico you think you know everything..but you dont even have a clue about mexico...

[phwSSJ]

MMA is right on the money,
and as for you anabolic king.... boy, you dont make any sense
"no bad stuff doesnt happen 20 percent of the time" ?????
dude what are you talking about watching movies?
Going to get illegal stuff from any foreign country is dangerous.
Dont be all defensive about Mexico,

FAT GUY has some good strategies, bump!

[bbigman2000]

nice post mate, good for the usa guys.

www.moraysecurity.com

[justincredible]

Good post man. Thanks for the Heads up...

[kl26]

you are putting out good info dude.a corupt cop stole my money before too bro when
i was just a dumb kid and he had to be tipped off by a someone because he went straight for my stuff the first place he checked.that was about 8 years ago.he didn't
steal my gear though.

[zodiac66]

It's always risky business-no doubt about that. Bottom line (like said before) if your white it makes you a target of opportunity for abvious reasons(especially if alone)-so go with some of your latino friends, have fun, don't bring unnecessary stuff back (boxes) /more than you can hide/stash..whatever. Be patient and don't be so anxious to return-you know what I'm talking about.

[dellrugby]

I work in Juarez and live on El Paso. I cross every day, and have no problom brinigng back Equipoise twice a month. I also bring back weekly supplies of Clomid, Nolvadez and Clen. I shoot the Sust 250 in my bathroom at work. I do get a little nervouse, but I carry back so little, that I would hope they would just confiscate it.

[Scooby1]

Dell- Have you adn your car ever been searched?? It is kinda freaky. I was interrigated, and my truck searched. Thank god I didn't have anything on me. That is one memory I will never forget

[deucedude]

The massive amount of farmacies just over the boarder are there to cater to american tourists. Their livleyhood depends on american dollars. My experience is that the vets are eager to please you so they can sell you gear and earn your business. If you thank them for their help and promise to be back to get more gear for yourself and your friends...they are delighted and happy. I have never ever felt like there was going to be a cop waiting outside the door to scam me out of money. The vets and pharmacies are their to earn and hopfully keep our repeat business. All this talk about paying someone 2 bucks to use thier bathroom to ducktape gear to my leg!? lol thats just funny and unimaginable. The vets i deal with help me take out the vials from the boxes and carefully wrap them all and fold the boxes nicley in my smuggling accessories. They know its not for your horse. And they know you gotta carry it across the boarder. And they know you will be back to get more if you are satisfied. Now when they see me walking down the street in TJ they run out and shake my hand and graciously invite me in their shop. Im posituve that all the paranoid delusions of getting ripped off stem from bad experiences dealing with street people ...dont talk to the street trash...just walk around till you find a vet...(you cant miss em they got qv, tornell etc emblems painted all over their windows). Then just walk in, be polite, check out all the gear, negotiate, make a deal, then pack it all up and tell em you will be back to get more later. The average income in mexico is 300 bucks a month. I spend that in 15 minutes in their store for gear...no 10 peso kickback from a shady mex cop is worth losing my future business...and they know it. i never heard of packing bathrooms, mules, corrupt cop/pharmacy connections...why? because i walk right past all that trash and walk right into a vet get my gear, drink a beer eat tacos, then i walk my ass back over the boarder...its that simple. no reason to make it more complicated by involving other people.

[deucedude]

i gotta say this...most of the problems derive from the street hustlers in tj...the guys that walk up to you and say "hey...i can get you anything you want..just let me know what you need". Most all of these guys speak good english because they are from the u.s. and got deported and are stuck in tj...most are gang members from somewhere in cali. What these guys do is sell dope...not gear. Of course if you tell them your looking for gear they will say they have it and make you go on a goose chase till they can weasle some cash out of you. Ive talked to these guys and know alot about em and most of em recognize me and just walk by and not say anything cause they know they cant weasle money from me. All the gear is in the vet shops. All the clomid nolva and pct stuff is in the pharmacies around the vet shops. just go to the vet get your stuff tell em you need pct stuff and he will point you in the direction of the pharmacy that he knows has all that stuff. If you cant find a vet ask a cab driver or a phamacist..no one else...everybody else is a hustler. heres where a great vet is...walk over that bridge towards revolution ave...(the path that all the tourists walk to get to revolution street.) its a long walk but right before you get to revolution ave on the right hand side you will see a vet...the guy is cool and speaks great english and has the most gear that i ever seen in a vet in tj...after you get your gear ...tell him you need points and pct stuff ...he will walk you right across the street to his brothers pharmacy and you can get all that stuff. there is another vet on revolution ave itself...its about in the middle on the right hand side if you walking west. the one with the best prices is on the side street that runs parralel to the first vet i told you about..your gonna hafta go up the tourist path i told you pass the fist vet and his brothers pharmacy...make a left on revolution...walk about a block ...make a left on the first street you see going downhill...walk anothe block...down that hill....it will be on your left hand side...he doesnt speak english..but he has a price list written down so you can read it and understand...all these vets i have checked qv serial numbers on the qv site many times and they always check out fine.

[The Baron]

i gotta say this...most of the problems derive from the street hustlers in tj...the guys that walk up to you and say "hey...i can get you anything you want..just let me know what you need". Most all of these guys speak good english because they are from the u.s. and got deported and are stuck in tj...most are gang members from somewhere in cali. What these guys do is sell dope...not gear. Of course if you tell them your looking for gear they will say they have it and make you go on a goose chase till they can weasle some cash out of you. Ive talked to these guys and know alot about em and most of em recognize me and just walk by and not say anything cause they know they cant weasle money from me. All the gear is in the vet shops. All the clomid nolva and pct stuff is in the pharmacies around the vet shops. just go to the vet get your stuff tell em you need pct stuff and he will point you in the direction of the pharmacy that he knows has all that stuff. If you cant find a vet ask a cab driver or a phamacist..no one else...everybody else is a hustler. heres where a great vet is...<snip>

Excellent post. A keeper. But maybe you should have PMed the details to those interested, instead of posting it where it will be archived and seen by anybody who might create problems for the guys who are treating you so well in TJ. I would not have posted the details if I were you.

Now... anybody have similar info on Matamoros that they can PM me?

[phwSSJ]

I got to agree with deucedude a little, the second time I went to MEX it was in Monterey. Went to a pharmacy and a vet, they told us about some horse races near by. We went, It ws good fun. Oooooh how the mexican ladies are so nice.
I dont know about the border towns dudes but definitly dont go alone if you are white, definitly take one of your mexican buddies with you even if you have to pay them.
Mexico is worth the trip, you can get ANYTHING you want. My buddies and I got the gringo tax a lot of places the first time. Second time we learned. Cant eait to go again.
If your smart about it its a good experience but there is always high risk, and it is still dangerouse no matter what!

PEACE

[Mealticket]

i dont use but couldnt you just take a mtn bike over and put the juice inside the tires or in the seatube w/ a removable seatpost. just wrap it up tihgt in paper, color the top of the paer black and stick it in your seattube, retrive it when you get home. Or take your tire off and stick it between the tube and the inside of the rim wall. Only takes 2-3 minutes to chage a flat onn a bike. If you have a nice $1500+ mtn bike w/ dual suspension just set it on the plushest settings and youll have no problem w/ busted bottles.