Lessons to be learned regarding travel in Sonora, Mexico

A family of four from Mesa, Arizona traveling to their Sonora, Mexico beach house were forced to pull over at gunpoint as they traveled south of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora (also known as Rocky Point). The assailant then stole their pickup truck, luggage, ATVs and other possessions. The auto, which they had paid off just two months earlier, and possessions were not insured in Mexico, and the family estimated it to be a $70,000 loss.

According to published reports, Mason and Natalie Davis from Mesa were driving to their Puerto Lobos beach house with their two daughters last Tuesday evening, October 6. At approximately 6:00 p.m. they had just passed through Puerto Peñasco and were driving south to their beach house in Puerto Lobos, Sonora when a grey sedan pulled alongside their white 2017 Toyota Tundra pickup truck.

A man in the sedan pointed an AK-47 assault rifle at Mason Davis and indicated for him to stop the vehicle. After Davis had pulled over, one of the assailants climbed into the vehicle’s driver’s seat while Natalie and the two girls were still inside. They jumped out of the pickup just before it sped away with the passenger doors still open. The pickup was towing a 20-foot tandem axle trailer loaded with three quad ATVs, luggage, a bicycle and other family possessions, which may have been the targets of the carjacking.

The Davis family was left stranded at the side of the road until a bus that transports mine employees stopped to give them a ride to a nearby military post, and they returned home the following day.

Pickup recovered without trailer

The Toyota Tundra was recovered by Sonora state police three days later in the town of San Felipe, located in the municipality (similar to a county in the U.S.) of Caborca.

Important lessons for those considering travel to Sonora, Mexico

Purchase vehicle and travel insurance

Many frequent visitors to Sonora feel so safe and confident in their travels that they do not purchase Mexico auto insurance or travel insurance before crossing the border into Mexico. The Davis family, who had traveled to their Puerto Lobos beach house for 20 years, apparently had this faulty sense of safety and confidence.

As a result, they paid dearly for the oversight. And given the current high level of violence in Sonora, they are fortunate to be alive.

Do your research

Before crossing the border, make an informed decision on whether you should travel to Sonora, or any other part of Mexico. The state does not perform comprehensive coronavirus testing, as indicated by their positivity rate of 45%, and they are beginning to experience a second wave of the virus.

Puerto Lobos was the scene of a cartel battle in June that left 12 dead. The municipality of Caborca and other Sonoran municipalities are currently under siege as local cartels battle with out-of-state criminal organizations, as evidenced by news reports of armed conflicts in the region spurred by Caborca turf wars and other news reports.

Also, the U.S. Department of State publishes travel warnings regarding Sonora, but in this case their advice was not only useless, but potentially dangerous.

Previously the State Department had allowed government employees to travel to Puerto Peñasco by entering Mexico at Nogales and driving from Santa Ana to Rocky Point via Mexico highway 2, which passes through Caborca. When Caborca heated up earlier this year they removed mention of that route but did not mention why (they did not even mention that it had been removed) or add any travel advisories.

If the State Department had acknowledged the danger of traveling in Caborca, and in particular travel to the coast of Caborca, the Mason family may have decided not to take the trip; or at least they may have taken more precautions.

Basically, the only relatively safe places to visit in Sonora include day trips to border towns and the route from the Lukeville-Sonoyta border crossing to Puerto Peñasco.

Follow common precautions

Sonora is more dangerous now than it has been in years, so these basic, common sense precautions are more important than ever.

Avoid conspicuous signs of wealth. This not only applies to wearing expensive jewelry while shopping, but driving late-model pickups and towing expensive and highly desired vehicles.

Travel in groups. When possible, travel with others for extra security.

Be aware of your surroundings. Frequent visitors to Mexico may be lulled into a sense of false confidence and not notice signs of danger.

Travel during daylight hours. When traveling in Sonora, always travel during the daylight hours. Again, familiarity with Sonora and a false sense of confidence may have been the reasons why the family chose to travel at dusk and into the evening hours.

Make good decisions, and be safe

Sonora’s economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Combine that with a lack of economic support from government, and the result is that many Sonorans are suffering from health and economic distress. Know that if you flout your wealth in that environment, you may just end up being robbed. Or worse.

Be safe.