La Mordida

La mordida, “the bite,” is a bribe in Mexico. While we were waiting for the ferry in Topolobampo, an American couple in line behind us told their story of being stopped by a municipal transit policeman between Los Mochis and Topolobampo. The policeman read a prepared text about their violation of the 60 kilometer/hour (km/h) speed limit. He showed them a radar gun displaying 80 km/h and said they were speeding. The driver, a recently-retired federal contractor, said that he was moving along with traffic, implying that everyone was speeding. The transit policeman told them that the place where they had to pay the fine was closed until the following morning. In the end, the couple gave MX$1,500 (pesos), about US$120, to the policeman so they could catch the ferry. La Mordida.