A 26-year-old from Tijuana was caught and arrested for attempting to smuggle 1,000 pounds of liquid methamphetamine inside the fuel tank of a tractor trailer, into the United States.

During an inspection of the vehicle, a CBP officer spotted a white crystalline substance on top of the passenger-side fuel tank. Further inspection led officers to 29 buckets’ worth of liquid concealed inside the tank,

A white crystalline powder was seen on the passenger-side fuel tank that prompted the further inspection of the vehicle’s gas tanks at the Otay Mesa Import Cargo Facility on March 2, 2026.

https://ktla.com/news/california/mexican-trucker-entering-california-caught-with-liquid-meth-filled-fuel-tank

meanwhile in todays news, on the border line in Baja Mexico not far from San Diego, traffic to US completely cut off from leaving by burning vehicles in response to the Mexican army killing the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1222163212922657

 

The killing of the drug lord set off several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles, tactics commonly used by the cartels to block military operations. Videos circulating on social media showed smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic.

Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta "due to an ongoing security situation" and advised customers not to go to their airport.

In Guadalajara, the state capital, burning vehicles blocked roads.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/mexican-army-kills-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-leader-el-mencho-during-operation-to-capture-him

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/22/nx-s1-5722897/mexican-army-kills-leader-of-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-official-says

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/22/mexican-security-forces-reportedly-kill-drug-cartel-boss-el-mencho

https://www.axios.com/2026/02/23/mexico-cartel-leader-el-mencho-drug-lord-killed

Mexico is racing to finish the new trade route "the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec" across its narrow southern waist, linking the Pacific with the Gulf of Mexico along a 303 kilometer railway backed by upgraded ports and industrial parks.

Containers leave a ship on one coast, cross the country by train, then board another ship on the other side. With drought and heat already slowing the Panama Canal, a land bridge that sidesteps queues and extra fees looks tempting for shipping companies and for anyone tired of delayed deliveries.

https://www.ecoticias.com/en/the-latin-american-country-that-moves-millions-of-tons-of-earth-and-creates-a-route-that-surpasses-the-panama-canal/26391/#google_vignette

An elevated border highway under construction in Tijuana to link the city’s coastal neighborhoods to Tijuana’s airport, allowing drivers to bypass the San Ysidro Port of Entry and busy downtown areas, is now partly open but not 1/2 way completed

This first portion to open will take motorists from the coast to just shy of downtown Tijuana.

Construction began 2 years ago, and it was supposed to be done by now, but the Mexico govt reports it will open in stages

Delays are attributed to issues such as land-ownership disputes, the need to relocate underground utilities, and difficult terrain.

The project is currently targeting a completion date of late 2026.

https://www.sandiegored.com/en/news/tijuana-elevated-viaduct-to-be-ready-by-december-president-claudia-sheinbaum

https://www.borderreport.com/regions/mexico/tijuanas-elevated-border-highway-to-open-in-stages

Mexican authorities are reporting the seizure of an armored truck built on a stolen Ford F-450 with welded steel plates, with gunports and a 50 cal machinegun capable of bringing down aircraft,

 

“Inside (the truck), there was a Browning .50-caliber machinegun and two ammunition boxes with the bullets already on a belt. It can bring down airships, and penetrate military armored vehicles"

https://www.borderreport.com/immigration/border-crime/seized-cartel-monster-truck-had-gunports-50-caliber-machinegun

another vehicle that is from Mexico, that they can't sell in the US, but somehow, can legally drive here anyway? Makes no sense to me

 A Renault Kangoo

A Chevy Beat is a derivative of the Daewoo Kalos and was initially designed by GM Daewoo in South Korea, and sold in markets like India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. It was a sold as a Chevy Spark in the USA

another reminder of that dichotomy that cars that can't be sold in the USA can be driven across the border and stay here to be used as commuters. Makes me wonder why that's allowed, if the DOT won't certify them as safe for the public roads in the USA

I saw one of these 2 years ago, and asked the same question https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2023/02/occasionally-here-on-border-of-tijuana.html

It's so rare to see a vehicle never sold in the USA

 

So I looked it up, the Chery Tiggo is a Chinese built crossover SUV sold in Mexico

is license plate theft so bad in Mexico that they really have to put a facsimile inside the back window?

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Oct 3rd announced the seizure of 265 packages / 2,686 pounds / $3.2 million worth of methamphetamine found inside a single tractor-trailer at the California-Mexico border.

Looks like they installed a fake floor to hide all that meth

https://ktla.com/news/california/meth-smugglers-ruse-fails-to-trick-border-agents-in-california/

update to the protesters in Mexico from 4 months ago that blocked the oil refinery, Wednesday they blocked the Tijuana airport.

residents of Tijuana’s Maclovio Rojas neighborhood who blocked roads leading to and from Tijuana’s international airport for 11 hours on Wednesday, affecting thousands of travelers who missed or were late for their flights.

The blockade also forced arriving passengers to walk with their suitcases for more than a mile because they were unable to take shuttles, taxis or ride-share vehicles from the airport.

Demonstrators said they took action because the state of Baja California and former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador have not provided titles to the land where their homes have been built.

https://www.borderreport.com/regions/mexico/protesters-blockade-tijuana-airport-disrupt-air-travel-for-thousands/

The first protest was posted in May https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2024/05/a-group-of-residents-in-tijuana-held.html

here's a question that probably only has one dumb answer (because the govt said so) but I'll ask it anyway

Why is it that the vehicles the govt will not allow Americans to buy and drive (they don't pass crash standards, safety standards) whatever the issues are that prevent Eurospec cars, and cars only sold in Mexico and South America, from being available for American citizens and consumers to purchase and drive and in the USA. (Examples, Buick Century SS, VW Crossfox, Nissan March, Ramirez R-15, Cajoma, Pena, Mago, Tractocasa

Why is it the trucking industry in Mexico is allowed to drive semis that burn fuels that are less expensive and create more smog, with out DEF on diesel engines, and I'm guessing, without catalytic converters, without the crash testing the US DOT requires, etc etc. 

See where this is going? In the USA, the vehicles the govt will allow to be sold, cost more, and must pass crash testing, and smog certs, and we can't import the cars from Mexico... but those cars can drive across the border and into the USA, and those trucking companies that buy and operate less expensive semis in Mexico are allowed to operate in the USA. 

I'm wondering why we Americans can't go into Mexico, buy some cheap car, and bring it back into the USA and drive it as a commuter, when someone in Mexico can. 

Oh, and this ain't racist, but the USA and Mexico have a very long border, with many border crossings, and different smog and crash standards, but Canada has the same as American. So, since we don't have borders with other countries, and the Eurospec stuff ain't allowed to get imported unless you're a billionaire (Jerry Seinfeld and his Porsches) I'm not discussing those because they can't drive into the USA.

Can American companies buy Mexican trucking companies and bring their fleet into the USA and operate it? Or, can only Mexican trucking companies operate in the USA? 

So, I'm also ready with a solution, the vehicles get registered, and smogged, in the USA, and are only allowed to cross into the USA with an American state registration, insurance, and smog test. 

That makes sense, and there's legal precedent, truckers used to be required to have a license plate from every state they did business in, am I right? 

what's sad, desperate, and smells like burnt Tesla? Tijuana, because someone jacked directly into a utility pole with a professional connector/adapter to charge it with

 you can do a lot of things in the world, but you can't fix desperate, or stupid, and I think it's obvious Tijuana will continue to embarrass Mexico with the broken sewage system that dumps millions of gallons of raw Mexican sewage into the Pacific, and hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into the USA

https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-owner-catches-car-and-house-on-fire-after-plugging-directly-into-power-line

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-crossings-mexico-biden-18ac91ef502e0c5433f74de6cc629b32

a neighborhood in Mexico City was the focus of ABC news because of it's commitment to keeping VW Bugs running

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/mexico-city-neighborhood-iconic-volkswagen-beetle-alive-111345927

a group of residents in Tijuana held a blockkade around the PEMEX fuel supply plant in Rosarito, to protest land ownership... and affected 235 gas stations in the Tijauna, Rosarito, and Tecate area, a week before presidetnial elections.

About 150 stations closed temporarily, the rest simply ran out due to the demand increase coming their way, and it's all over getting their government to responsibly address property titles in the Maclovio Rojas neighborhood of Tijuana. 

The stations that had any supply in the tanks were limiting sales to 30 dollars per vehicle, so everyone would have enough for a day or two, but no one would be filling up - going home - draining and selling at a profit markup due to the emergency. Smart. 

What is the protest all about? A demand that the government issue them title and full ownership to lands where they have built their homes. 

But of course, the govt had no interest in "representing" it's constituents, and handling the problem professionally, instead, the govt stated it refused to give into demands being made by those taking part in the blockade.

That didn't last long. 

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/border-baja-california/story/2024-05-25/blockade-that-led-to-supply-problems-at-several-tijuana-gas-stations-lifted-baja-governor-announces
https://www.borderreport.com/news/close-to-half-of-gas-stations-in-tijuana-closed-due-to-gasoline-shortage

Well, that's some damn effective planned out method for getting your govt off it's ass and into the meeting room! 

Toyota was forced to repeatedly halt production at a Mexico plant in February and March after local labor shortages

local labour shortages snarled output at suppliers, and the stoppages illustrate a potential choke point for the world's top automaker, which plans to produce 10 million vehicles this year.

Toyota halted production for a total 19 days in February and March at its plant in Tijuana, Mexico, where it makes the Tacoma pick-up truck, according to two of the people. Technical issues at the plant were also a factor in the stoppage, they said. 

Reuters spoke to four people at suppliers and Toyota. All of them declined to be identified because the information has not been made public. Toyota is now working with some suppliers to ease the strain. Still, some parts makers are barely managing to keep production going because of the worker shortage, one of the people said.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/toyota-repeatedly-halted-mexico-plant-after-suppliers-hit-by-worker-shortage-2024-05-17

the 1st taco stand a Michelin star has been awarded to

Chef Arturo Rivera Martínez has stood over an insanely hot grill for 20 years at Mexico City’s Tacos El Califa de León, searing meat in a 10-foot by 10-foot business where there are only four things on the menu, all tacos, and it's earned him the 1st Michelin star that has been awarded to a taco stand among the 1 6 Mexican restaurants given one star

 In fact, other than perhaps one street food stand in Bangkok, https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/04/update-to-michelin-star-for-street-food.html  El Califa de León is probably the smallest restaurant ever to get a Michelin star: Half of the 100 square-foot space is taken up by a solid steel plate grill

El Califa de León is a tribute to resistance to change. It got there by doing exactly the same four things it has been doing since 1968.

https://apnews.com/article/mexico-taco-stand-michelin-star-6a4a89f27aa13d46246030b94bcffa56

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/03/michelin-started-making-tires-then.html

dirt road go carting at the 1960 International Grand Prix De Tecate, A 100 Mile Endurance Event... which is a 100 laps of a one mile city street route. Probably a LOT of fun. (I've been to Tecate, it's so much nicer and quieter than TiJuana)

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/eric-rickman-photos-for-hot-rod.1171038/page-2#post-13311209

see the article on it at https://www.ebay.com/itm/302497904370

that's not a blizzard of snow, it's just more confetti than I've ever seen in a parade

this was Mexico City, 2 million people lined the route to shower JFK and Jackie, as they were the first Catholic couple to lead the USA, and visit Mexico, where Jackie spoke fluent speeches in Spanish. 

And without the confetti