Consulate warns of bogus checkpoints in Mexico

The U.S. Consulate in Nogales has issued a travel warning for Americans headed to Rocky Point, a popular destination for college students in New Mexico and Arizona. The consulate said Monday that U.S. drivers should be aware of unauthorized checkpoints on Highway 8. The road links Arizona to the Mexican resort town. Criminal gangs sometimes are behind the non-police checkpoints. The warning said those at the checkpoints have thus far only asked to see identification. The U.S. Consulate tells motorists to comply at the checkpoints and to alert the monitors that children are in the car. There have been instances in other parts of Mexico where people trying to evade these checkpoints are shot or pursued. The warning comes as northern Mexico continues to see drug and gang-related violence in cities such as Nogales, Tijuana and Juárez. Juárez is 50 miles from Las Cruces, N.M. American consulate personnel in Nogales also were instructed Monday to only travel within Mexico in armored vehicles...more