I was heading North today 4-27-08 around 11:30 am on Ruta 14, Entre Rios when I was stopped exactly at Kilometer 341 where there is a permanent police checkpoint.

Thanks to GatoGato´s post on the subject I was ready for crooked cops in this region and had been planning my strategy and preparing Spanish phrases for the problem.

There were at least 3 officers present and two working the North bound lane.

I introduced myself, stated my name and asked politely for the officer´s name. He immediately looked irritated and identified himself only as ¨Jose¨.

He proceeded to tell me my luggage was too wide and that I needed to pay a fine.

I responded that I thought the fine for a fire extinguisher was more popular here.

He looked at me very strangely and said he knew more about the law than I did.

I responded that I always respected the law and the police.

He repeated his demand for money pointing at my bag. I told him I had done nothing wrong.

He asked for his fine again and I told him that many people had told me there were ¨problems¨ at Kilometer 341. He looked a little surprised and sarcastically called out to his friend that people were talking about the police at Kilometer 341. His friend did not laugh and looked uncomfortable.

Yes, I repeated, in fact at least 5 people in Buenos Aires had told me there were ¨problems with the police¨ here at Kilometer 341. I said I´d never had any trouble with the dozens of other police I´d met in Argentina.

At this point he looked disgusted and told me to leave.

WOOT!!!!!

There is no dirtier feeling than being screwed by a dirty cop and no better feeling than beating one at his own game in a second language.

I went 30 KM down the road and met some other police who were friendly and waived me through. I stopped and picked an older one to talk with. I told him about the demands for money. He looked at my bags and said nothing was wrong with them.

Then I told him GatoGato´s story about the pistol in the bathroom and said somebody should do something about the corruption at Kilometer 341.