Police hassle in northern Argentina

[hook]

Henno and I were riding northbound on ruta 14 several days ago. We passed a vehicle after a curve on the highway. About 1km after the curve we were stopped by 2 cops in the street. They said we had crossed a solid line when we passed the vehicle- man, they must have good eyes! We were told we were under arrest and instructed to enter a two-story white buiding. It was basically a police station. There were around 6 cops eating lunch inside. A cop took my documents and began examining them. He said we both had to pay $200usd. Henno took him outside to show him how far away the curve was. I then grabbed all my documents and tucked them away. After an hour of hanging out, we decided it was time to leave. The jefe requested my documents again and I gave them to him. He filled out an official looking paper and informed me I had to pay a 1227 peso fine (more than $400usd). I refused to sign the paper and refused any form of payment. He told us to leave- and said that he would call the Aduana and informed me I will be unable to leave Argentina with my bike. I'm off to Asuncion tomorrow, we'll see what happens. I'm posting this because it wasn't just 2 cops with a car. It is a fixed station- more of a tollway than a police station! These guys can be found around km 345 on ruta 14. During the hour we were there, they stopped many vehicles and issued tickets for a variety of reasons. D.

[BCK_973]

Dave,did you pick up the form from Javiers shop?
It could help may be.
So not only peruvian corrupt cops on your journey.
Keep us up.
KH

[mother77]

Hi,

same thing happened to me and my girlfriend. I had read many times of the problems on Ruta 14 in Entre Rios so was prepared and refused to pay. We were kept almost an hour while i got very frustrated at teh shear cheek of his accusations, and my girlfriend (spanish speaking) translated my rude answers in to something more polite. He refused to fill in the form from Javiers shop, refused to give his name or number and had 2 of his croupt cronies stand in front of the number plate at the back of teh car.

As a compromise, we said we wouldn{t pay him (as we didnt have enough money) but offered to pay at teh first opportunity at the station or teh bank. The bank was allowed but he insisted they were all shut, all the time, so kept offering us discounts for his "collaboration"!

When i got him to explain the "offical" looking form ( a grid of numbers) that detailed the fine structure , he said teh first column was litres of gasoline then the other distance , and a few other things. so put like that we pointed out that he had just fined me 600litres of gasoline. At this point he asked where we were from and once my girlfriend said venezuala, he said "Ah ! so you speak spanish and understand EVERYTHING" after which we left very quickly , only to be stopped 5 more timies in the next hour or 2 as we went through the state. I didn{t even turn the engine off or give a polite answer to the rest of the stops, as yo got the impression they radioed through to their mates and told to make life as difficult as possible.

We were saved a lot of hassle at teh last stop as a young tourist couple in a hire car tried to drive past teh road block , which really got the police excited as it was actually a real offense! Guns and whistles, the lot.

hopefully they got away with out any serious trouble but to be honest i didn{t want to stay and find out.

But, for all travellers please refuse to pay asit just make slife difficult for everyone and plays in to their hands. I was goiong to try and complain to the tourist Information, but with out names, numbers or car regisration it all seemed a bit pointless. Just an accusation with no evidence.

but the rest of argentina was the height of friendlyness. sorry that the police of one state try and give it a bad name.

mike

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Hey Karl Hans, yes we had a copy of Javier's form. It didn't seem like the time to use it though, as there was no way I was going to give them any money. As I told Henno, these guys are a victim of their own success- Javier warned me about this area. I just wanted to alert other travellers as to the (almost) exact location of this ¨tollway.¨ As for the rest of Argentina, I feel the same Mother, just awesome. Several km after our hassle, Henno and I stopped at a road-side fruit stand. We asked for 8 tangerines. I turned to the farmer to see him holding some 30 or 40 tangerines in a bag. I told him we couldn't carry them all on our bikes. He said with a smile, ''one peso.¨ (30us cents). We gave some back, exchanged some for different types, etc. I then told the farmer and a truck driver that the cops had asked me for 1227 pesos- they laughed! See you in BA, D.

[hook]

Hi again guys. Argentina let me leave without a problem. Paraguay requires a visa however. Argentina took me back with plenty of smiles. I'm in Posada now. Sadly, the Paraguayan consulate is closed in the afternoon, so I'll start over again tomorrow. I was kinda caught off-guard as this is the first visa I've needed in the America's (and yes, I'm ready for Brasil). I almost decided to skip Paraguay as I spent close to 5 hours going back and forth between the borders...but the Paraguayans had me laughing and singing in their office (Javier, remind me about the secret in the mountains when I get back). Dave.

[mmaarten]

Yep, Those guy,s have a nice "extra" bit of pocket money.
Don,t worry about the aduana. Nothing is "connected" there.

Did they tell you you needed a fire-extinguisher (don,t know how to spell that)... and a white sheet for if you die in a crash?
I forgot the other funny stuff.

Someone I know was riped off for 200 US if I remember correct.
Luckilly it seems to be only in one department.
I was stopped a little north of BA and they told me I needed seguro (insurance)... (maybe they were even right?)... I did the same as you. Tucked my documents away and refused to sign.... so they let me go (thinking they had my aduana-paper)...

I left and reantered a few weeks later (bit nervous I admit) but nothing...

Maarten

[BCK_973]

We call it matafuegos.
The insurance is obligatory for all bikes here!What you can do is show some insurance paper in foreign language and say it is world wide covered and accepted by ACA(like the ADAC in Germany,Lions , Rotary etc)
They will find any dumb excuse to make you pay(if you are ready to do it!)
Saludos from cold BA(4º)
KH

[marker]

My advice is not to speak any spanish (or portuguese in Brazil)whit the police.

First time when I was fined at the infamous Entre Rios was in 1990. On an empty wide open road where you could see miles ahead (except for the radar...) there was all of a sudden a 30KM sign out of the blue. I was doing 120 at that moment....(on a FJ 1200).
That was the time when I was still speaking fluently spanish and it took me half a day to get away with it(they would make me pay at the border...)

2 years ago I was stopped there as I had no lights on (with the car and is compulsary for cars too in Argentina) and last Christmas because I crossed a yellow line (which I did). But nowadays I speak zero spanish(..) and since I play the dumbo when dealing with policemen I have a much easier life...
Just showe my wallet with only some coins in it and mumble something like "argentina - mucho criminal- dangerous...' and show them I only have a credit card. They still threaten that if I don't pay them right there they will wire all borderposts and it will cost me a lot more. (for the lights and some more idiotic fines like having a roofrack a towbar, dirty sidewindows etc it would add up to 2452 pesos when paying at the border!!)
Have crossed many argentinian borders after this and still no wire seemes to have come through...

[BCK_973]

Thats not correct,argentine bikers are stoped also!Show me a guy here that pay the insurance on his bike.......allmost none!
They know it and they are asking for "Coimas" too.
So its a question of mood and quantity they have raised that day.
And i remember that they are corrupt cops in the north too.And not just a few.
Hasta pronto
Nos vemos
KH