Defensive Carry banner

American Veteran of Iraq War RELEASED FROM Mexican Prison

3K views 40 replies 26 participants last post by  edr9x23super 
#1 ·
#2 ·
What do you think about this?
... that Mexican "justice" in the border regions is defined by other, unknown terms. He's caught in the blender, now. Shouldn't have strayed. That much is his own fault. Of course, the Mexican gov't should be reasonable in cases like this, but that's asking a lot.

It comes down to one thing: if he had no intention of smuggling a weapon or ammo in, how exactly is the law supposed to distinguish this? His word? When hundreds (thousands?) are being murdered at the border every year?

I'm of the opinion that Maryland, DC, NYC aren't too far behind. But that's another topic for another thread.
 
#3 ·
i say extract him immediatly sure he'll get chewed out by his chain of command but its better than rotting(or beig murdered) in a mexican jail. and if the mexican government don't agree forcefully extract him.
 
#5 ·
i say extract him immediatly sure he'll get cheed out by his chain of command but its better than rotting(or beig murdered) in a mexican jail. and if the mexican government don't agree forcefully extract him.
I'd give em a 1 week deadline. If not released...Extract him forcefully, politics be damned. What's the worst they can do...Stop the illegal workers from crossing to work on our farms?:rolleyes:
 
#4 ·
I've been down to the border, and over many times. There is a U-Turn before entering Mexico. There are also 3 or 4 signs that are bright yellow and say Last US Exit. Taking a weapon into Mexico is just plain stupid. Taking a weapon into Mexico 'accidentally' is just plain idiotic.

I guess I don't have a lot of sympathy for somebody who accidentally cross international borders with restricted items.
 
#8 ·
Not being from the area, I’ve found myself on the Mexico side of the border more than once, when I was not planning on driving over.

Sure, there are signs that say last exit, but that was miles form the border, and I wanted to park near by and walk over. Then all at once, you find yourself at the check point and no place to turn around.

On one such occasion in the late 70’s I was on vacation, in southern Texas, deputy sheriff from Florida and had my Colt 45 in the center consol. When I found myself at the check point, I told the border agent, I did not want to enter Mexico and needed to turn around. He advised me to go over into that parking lot turn around and come straight back. Which I did; I then parked on our side left my pistol in the car, and walked over the bridge.


Some thoughts:

While it is perfectly legal to carry an AR-15 in his truck, (in this country) having one has caused him allot of grief. As I feel the Mexican authorities would have been allot more understanding, if he had only had his pistol.

I also feel that when he stopped at the border he should have asked how to turn around, and did so immediately, while the boarder agents watched.

Glad to see he is in the military. They always take care of there own and I sure hope they will figure a way to get him out of this.
 
#10 ·
Mexican authorities would have been allot more understanding, if he had only had his pistol.
having family on both sides of the border - I doubt it, especially with all of the trouble that they have had in Chiapas... Their laws are pretty clear, and they don't flex them much, and hardly ever for Americans from north of the Rio Grande...

I also feel that when he stopped at the border he should have asked how to turn around, and did so immediately, while the boarder agents watched.
yep - and kept his mouth shut too - last time I drove across the border - I was sent to inspection station - vehicle search started... primarily searching for weapons (I conversed with them as they searched...) (they didn't find anything either - they were locked in another vehicle on the US side - in the border crossing parking lot)

Glad to see he is in the military. They always take care of there own and I sure hope they will figure a way to get him out of this.
:rofl::rofl::rofl: //Sarcasm on// Yeah - Right //Sarcasm Off//
(I spent eight years in the Army) I've seen the Army take care of it's own... if it doesn't help someone further their career...:gah:

the article was right - the military does usually take care of these sorts of things - but he was not "in country" in an official capacity... so no status of forces agreement applies

I am still dealing with VA trying to get treatment for "treatable disability" (they have a cure now - they didn't then)

so far has taken 5 years to get them to open the medicine chest to the right family of drugs, the same family that the original DR said it would take to cure the malady - then they will bill me for the meds - then I have to take them my letter showing that it is service connected - and the Gov'ts bill :ticking: happens every time...
 
#13 ·
I agree he failed, but doesn't the same thing happen here in NoVA with "out of towners" or even regular Virginians? The number of folks that routinely accidently cross over the bridge into DC and have to find a place to turn around and bug out quick...I would guess is probably rather high.

Heck, I've done it myself once. Get stuck on 66 and miss your last exit because you got cut off in traffic and end up crossing the DMZ into the District of Crime. It happens and then you have to get yourself turned around quickly and quietly and get out of dodge. Should they end up in jail over it...?

l Risk Management, and while I hate ORM briefs, they have probablok...no really...now I'm done:redface:
Not my place to say who goes to jail for what, but if your guilty, and your caught, well you really can't blame anyone but the offender.

I know what's legal and what's not, in the event that I accidentally break the law, and am caught doing so, I'm not going to whine and cry on how it's not my fault, or my favorite, "I didn't know it was illegal", I've been plenty close to going into Jersey accidentally a lot of times when I was in PA, this is even on the Turnpike with exits every 13 or so miles, and I never once HAD TO drive into Jersey while carrying or improperly transporting my firearms, there's always a way to NOT go into some place...I dunno maybe just PULL OVER and THINK about what can go wrong and form a plan, it's called Operational Risk Management and probably saved my bacon countless times.

While I would like to think that a normal U.S. Policeman would give ANYONE under these circumstances a break, it's up to the officer on the scene. One can hardly be surprised that the Mexican LE arrested the individual. It's not the same ball park out of the country.

Regarding his Military status, to me a non issue, it has nothing to do with his illegal actions, servicemen on leave get locked up all the time, sometimes they get a break, sometimes they don't.

Should we protest every time a serviceman gets drunk and arrested in TJ, which in most cases is off-limits to begin with? What if they "didn't know they were in TJ" before getting drunk and arrested?
Should they still be charged for not knowing?

Granted, this isn't apples to apples, but the fact remains that this guy was caught in an illegal act regardless of his intentions.

To even suggest an armed incursion across the border to "Get him out" is utterly ridiculous. He's in a Mexican jail, (granted not a pleasant place to be) not a POW camp in Cambodia.

As I stated, should they try to bring stateside for trial? YES, let the Military lock him up for a while.
 
#14 ·
I cross the border at least a dozen times/year at different locations. Every one has several signs in both languages warning against bringing even ammo into Mexico. Every crossing also has a U-turn before you enter Mexico. You can't possibly NOT KNOW where you are. I agree with Rick, there's more going on here than we see.
 
#15 ·
I don't buy his story about driving to his moms and taking a large detour to go have breakfast in mexico,Border crossings are clearly marked and if you have a gun I wouldn't even consider driving close to the border.You can get a lot of money for an AR15 and a 45 in mexico
 
#16 ·
Why do they include the fact that he is a veteran in this story? I fail to see how including the fact that he is a veteran has any affect on the story other than attempt to grab the readers attention using the headline. This ia a very straightforward, simple story. He transported a weapon across the border. Getting lost and being forced to cross the border is a bs excuse. I have crossed the border numerous times, there are lots of places to turn around. What kind of person parks his car and then leaves the car sitting in a parking lot with an ar-15 and a handgun in it while he crosses the border to have breakfast (that was his excuse)? I sometimes have to leave my gun in the car when I go into a restricted place, but going into another country while he has 2 guns in the car? Not too bright. Sounds like a bs excuse to me. Veteran or not, he broke the law. Mexican prisons are notoriously nasty, thats wy when i go to Mexico, I am extra careful to follow the law. I personally don't buy his excuse. I personally don't think the fact that he is a veteran has any bearing on this story whatsoever.
 
#28 ·
+1

He's someone who broke the law. It has nothing to do with whether or not you think "mexico's" laws are legitimate to you or not, theyre legitimate to MEXICO and you will pay the price for breaking them.
 
#18 ·
I live in El Paso, Texas. The border area in Mexico has been in an intense drug war for the past several months. The drug cartels are struggling for control of the drug and people smuggling. Over 250 people have been murdered in Juarez since January 1. This includes 16 police officers who have been ambushed and gunned down. Just yesterday, the assistant police chief was ambushed and killed. 2000 Mexican soldiers and federal police have been patrolling the city for several months to augment the local police but the war continues. A few years ago I'd take friends visiting from out of town to Juarez. We'd eat a meal, buy a few blankets and leather goods and return but now I wouldn't go into Juarez on a bet. Of course the visiting soldier didn't realize all of that.

All of the law enforcement authorities are extremely on edge and Mexico has always been unforgiving on weapons and ammunition. Several years ago a man was stopped at the border and a single cartridge was found on the floor of the trunk of his car. His car was confiscated and it took several months of legal and diplomatic wrangling to get him released.

Another problem this young soldier has is that he has an Aztec eagle tattooed on his back. The Aztecas are a big prison gang in Mexico and that is their symbol. So the Aztecas don't like him because he is wearing their sign without being a member and the other gangs don't like Aztecas, real or not.

This young man is learning a harsh lesson about real life in another country. I hope and pray this young soldier learns his lesson without serious harm coming to him. I bet you won't get him within fifty miles of the border after he gets out of this.

Semper Fi
Larry
 
#22 ·
larry,

i lived in el paso back in 99-2000, seemed to me that there was an issue with two el paso pd officers thrown into jail and the cars stripped because they had stopped someone after the u-turns and had no way to turn around. going to have to look....

tell you what, i hope that all ends well for this kid, but honestly speaking, what's the penalty for obstructing traffic and/or backing up to a u-turn point?

gotta be less than misdemeanor.....
 
#19 ·
The sad part of this deal is that Torres will be "exchanged" for some Mexican drug peddler and will do time in a US prison for an alleged offense committed in Mexico. The US military will most likely give Torres a less than honorable discharge as a convicted felon.
 
#20 ·
I am quite dismayed at the amount of negativity being thrown at this young man who was arrested for the "crime" of mere possesion a firearm regardless of his intentions...I thought this was a PRO-gun ownership/self-defense/personal freedom forum... :confused: :confused:
 
#21 ·
am quite dismayed at the amount of negativity being thrown at this young man who was arrested for the "crime" of mere possesion a firearm regardless of his intentions...I thought this was a PRO-gun ownership/self-defense/personal freedom forum...
I would have the same attitude for a young mexican man found here with pounds of cocaine . No matter his intent he is in the usa and with controlled drugs. not just one snort either . I am strongly pro 2a however the 2a stops at our borders . a drive or review of either f our neighbor country's will clearly state this . The last time i ran border MX i had a card to allow me to ( at least informally ) carry there . I could and did choose a then new 10mm just to stay away from some of the prohibited weapons . Mexico has a no crap gunlaw prosecution that makes chicago look like AZ or any of the west. The last time i was in matamoros i had 3 pickups of large fellas with assault weapons shadow me wherever i went ( not smalia level but a couple of guys per cab ). Dont go to MX with weapons or ammo, and dont go to Canada with same unless and untill you are approved . Common guys the 2nd starts at my doorstep and it closes at my neighbors .
 
#26 ·
This is most definitely a pro-gun ownership/self defense/personal freedom forum. However as LEGAL handgun carriers, we must frown upon those who do so illegally. I personally do not buy this young soldiers story. However for the purpose of this post, I will accept his story at face-value. If his story is true, then he still deserves to be treated as a criminal. Whether we agree with the law or not, whether we agree with the government of mexico or not, whether we believe this soldier should be allowed to go free or not, there is one simple indisputable fact. That fact is: HE BROKE THE LAW. The law may be unjust, the govermnent of mexico may be unrustworthy, howeever we do no have the ability to decide what laws to follow or not. This is a pro-gun ownership/freedom forum, however as legal gun-owners/carriers, we need to be more aware than most that we follow the laws of gun-ownership, whether in our country or not, whether in our home-state or not. The fact that this person is a soldier is insignificant. He broke the law in a foreign country. Every time someone is caught with a gun, the antis gain more ammunition. Most people don;t know or care what a ccw is. Most people lump all non-leo gun carriers into the same category, and blame the whole group when someone does something wrong. This young man, soldier or not, broke the law in a country with notoriously nasty prisons. I feel bad for him, I hope he gets out without being harmed, however, we need to remember, he broke the law. Mexico has as much right to put him in prison as the United States would if we caught a mexican citizen crossing our border with an assault rifle and handgun. Would you be pro gun right, pro-freedom for a mexican citizen armed in this country? If a Mexican citizen and member of the mexican army crossed the border and entered our country with an assault rifle and handgun in their trunk, would we throw up our hands and say "This is a pro-gun/pro freedom forum, so he should be let off the hook." I doubt it, I know I most certainly wouldn't be saying that.
 
#27 ·
I agree Jay and I too feel bad for him. Condoning his actions/stupidity is not the right answer however; he sheds a bad light on gun owners . If he couldn't tell he was about to enter Mexico from EP then he's more than lost... the signage is pretty in your face. I'm not saying necessarily he was up to no good but at best he's dumb as a box of rocks.

Those offended by this guy being arrested for bringing a gun into Mexico: Would you therefore condone Mexican citizens bringing in AK's because they "wanted to have an authentic cheeseburger"?

Perhaps we American's shouldn't gripe about tough Mexican border laws but instead wake up to how much of a deterrent they can actually be when you let authorities carry out the laws that are on the books. I don't think anyone that has heard this story is saying, "that turned out well, maybe it's worth a try." :tumbleweed:
 
#32 ·
Bushido, I don't even know where to begin with this.

It is a different country. Different laws. Different constitution.

For us to attempt to change Mexico's laws by force is not a rebellion. It would be an invasion.

Our fouding fathers(Dead white guys, according to you) changed the laws of the place of their residence. Not somebody else's residence.

They had stakes in the matter...they were sitting at the table and threw their chips in the pot. To advocate trying to change Mexico's gun laws is like watching Poker on TV and arguing about whether a guy should have folded or not.
 
#33 ·
They had stakes in the matter...they were sitting at the table and threw their chips in the pot.
We certainly have a stake in the pot. Unless there has been a change, and we favor allowing the free transit of rapists, cop-killers, not to mention dopers in our country.:icon_neutral:

Well why don't we encourage Mexicans to stay in Mexico and change their government, improve their economy and maybe create a society where their people can prosper?
That is a sociological issue that quickly turns to name calling, but fundamentally, there is no significant history of personal responsibility for the foundation for a genuinely republican society. A subjugating civilization that was in turn subjugated and has spent the ensuing years re-establishing their hierarchy.
 
#35 ·
The exact same thing happened while I was stationed in San Diego. A SGT was tasked with "fetching" one of his junior Marines from the Shore Patrol after a bout in TJ. He got down there, was forced to the gate, because he missed his turnoff. Before he even proceeded into MX, he made it clear that he didn't want to go into MX, and even declared that he had weapons in his trunk. He just wanted to turn around and go back north.

They agreed and let him in, he made his U-turn, then they wouldn't let him back across. In the end, he spent 30 days locked up in a TJ jail.

Now THAT was a setup.

Nate
 
#37 ·
i am disgusted at the very thought of leaveing a fellow soldier in the hands of a country with nothing but ill will towards the united states. every day mexican soldiers come into the united states armed and are given a free pass. just because this paratrooper sucks at land nav is no excuse to leave him there.
 
#38 ·
US soldier jailed in Mexico on gun charges freed | AP | 05/31/2008

EL PASO, Texas - A U.S. soldier who was held in a Mexican jail for more than a month on weapons charges has been released, Mexican authorities said.

Spc. Richard Torres was arrested April 21 after he has said he accidentally crossed the border in El Paso with an AR-15 assault rifle, a .45-caliber handgun and 171 bullets in his car.

In a statement released Friday, a spokesman for the Center for Social Readaption jail in Ciudad Juarez said Torres, a 25-year-old Iraq war veteran, was released to U.S. authorities Friday afternoon.

Torres had faced a gun-possession charge.

Torres' mother, Gloria Medina, said in a phone interview Friday that a Mexican judge hearing the case threw out the charge, allowing Torres to be released Friday afternoon.

"The U.S. consulate called and said, 'I've got good news for you, Richard's being released,'" Medina said.

She said she spoke to her son and he was planning to drive to California after stopping for dinner in El Paso. A cell phone number for Torres was out of service on Friday.

Gloria Medina said neither she nor her son are harboring any ill feelings toward Mexico.

"I am just glad they have finally seen the light," she said.

Medina said Torres' 1999 Honda Prelude was released to the Army earlier this month and had been stored at Fort Bliss.

Torres said in previous interviews that he was headed home to Fresno, Calif., from Fort Hood, when he decided to stop in El Paso and walk across the border to grab breakfast in Ciudad Juarez, a hardscrabble border city plagued with violence.

Misunderstanding directions from a gas station attendant after driving all night, Torres said he accidentally crossed the border while looking for a place to park.

Investigators with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concluded that Torres, who was transferring to an Army unit based in Honduras when he was arrested, was not smuggling weapons into Mexico to sell them.

Medina said Torres will have a few weeks to spend at home before he reports back to Fort Hood and eventually to his next assignment in Honduras.
Well it looks like things are Ok without storming a Mexican jail...
 
#39 ·
Good for him. I wonder what the U.S. had to give up for this to happen. At least he is free and can spend some time with his mother before heading back out. He might also want to get a GPS unit to keep this from happening again.:congrats:
 
#40 ·
I also remember teh marine in San Diego (I'm from there) who was jailed in TJ for a similar misunderstanding. Interesting how they both spent about the same amount of time in jail, then were released.

I think the Mexican government wants to make clear their stance on such issues: Come here with a gun, go to jail.

Sure, they'll let you out in a month, but are you willing to risk it? Not me.
 
#41 ·
I'd say we are approaching this the wrong way; I feel sorry for the guy, but as Kerbouchard stated, there are pretty clearly marked signs all over the place at the border crossings I have been to.

Of course, instead of navy SEALS we could send a couple of Texas Rangers down there to get our soldier and clean up the drug war going on. After all, one riot, one ranger.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top