Security officials in Mexico are investigating after videos circulating on social media purport to show people being extorted on the highway leading south from the Arizona border.
Authorities in the Mexican state of Sonora say they did not find fake checkpoints during recent inspections along Federal Highway 15, which stretches through Sonora starting in the border city of Nogales.
That comes after multiple videos went viral allegedly showing individuals pulling cars over at fake government checkpoints in Sonora and demanding money.
Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo said at a press conference this week that some of the videos are real, some are fake, and others are years old.
The state’s attorney general, Gustavo Salas Chávez, said security forces have been checking for fake checkpoints after a credible complaint that led to an investigation.
Real government checkpoints, he says, often set up as tents along the side of the highway, have to be clearly marked. They will clearly display a tarp with a QR code showing the relevant authorities in charge of the checkpoint for travelers looking to report abuses.
He advised travelers to call 911 or directly alert state or federal officials if they encounter a fake checkpoint.
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