On Monday you heard the story from businessman and importer Raul Acevedo. He claims police officers from the Mobile Interdiction Team shook him down after the caught him with uncustomed goods. He says he gave them two thousand dollars in Mexican currency, which amounts to sixteen thousand pesos. We couldn't get much of a comment from the M-I-T at the time, but today their attorney called us. Dolores Balderamos Garcia is representing five of the officers and she says that Acevedo lied when he says the cops asked for a bribe:...
Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Attorney
"My clear and unequivocal instruction is that the businessman is lying through his teeth. I am instructed by 5 officers; a corporal and 4 PCs in the MIT and they have given me a straight up account that there is absolutely no such thing as them soliciting or receiving anything. Apparently the businessman offered pesos as a bribe. It was turn down, it was refused and I am also here to say that the un-customed goods which were packed in 9 boxes underneath the stuff that the duty had been paid for. The un-customed goods was 9 complete boxes, not negligible whatsoever and in those 9 boxes you had mostly deodorant amount to over 1,400 items in all the various boxes. Of course you had it in Takis chip box, but when you left up the box, it's so heavy that you are looking at a number of deodorants."
"My clients are absolutely determined to defend their good name. I am instructed to take action against the lying businessman as I have been instructed and also we want to take up issues with the internal affairs of the police. Because it is my view that their constitutional rights have been violated. I mean there were arbitrary searches. They weren't even told why their locker and their little backpacks etc. were being search. A WPC searching somebody underwear and its very unprofessional. We will be taking action against the businessman and we will be looking into the issue of the internal procedure of the police themselves."
We have confirmed that Acevedo was assessed by customs for undeclared items and has agreed to a settlement - which is standard procedure for persons caught with uncustomed goods.
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