|
| Puerto Vallarta | | January
18th - 25th, 2003 | International
gang arrested in Vallarta A Story with a
Happy Ending For Ms. R., the day started as
any normal day would in Vallarta. She had to go to Sam's to purchase some items,
including a plastic case for her FM-3 Mexican visa. That is why she happened to
have it in her purse that day. As she was pushing her
cart through one of Sam's aisles, she found her path blocked by two other strangely-positioned
carts. She went to move them out of her way, and that is when her purse was stolen
and the story began. Ms. R., an American lady, was a high-powered
executive back in the States, before moving down to Vallarta. She was not going
to take this kind of outrage sitting down. She immediately reported the matter
to the police and Sam's personnel. She also reported the stolen credit cards to
the appropriate authorities who advised her that the cards were already being
used in various locations throughout the town, including VIP's restaurant near
Sam's and a travel agency where the thieves had purchased bus tickets for Mexico
City. Another place where the credits cards had been used
was Office Depot. As that particular establishment is equipped with closed-circuit
video cameras, Ms. R., with the help of O.D.'s manager, was able to see the video
showing the thieves using the stolen card to purchase a laptop computer. Now she
had a clear picture of the faces of two out of the four. This
time, Ms. R. got the help of the police authorities, the municipal Seguridad Pública
and the Attorney General's Office. They found out from the travel agency exactly
which bus the thieves would board and they went to wait for them at the Central
Camionera. Once they were identified, the officers moved in and arrested the four
suspects, even though one of them had unsuccessfully tried to hide in the ladies'
room and disguise herself. They also recuperated part of the stolen merchandise
which included perfumes, pens, two television sets, etc., but not the $9,000.
pesos in cash that Ms. R. had in her wallet. The thieves
turned out to be three Peruvians and one Ecuadorian. They were accused of theft,
criminal association, fraud and document forgery. In their
statements, the thieves confessed to their crimes and told their story in detail.
They told how they first followed the victim through the aisles at Sam's, blocked
her way with an "abandoned" cart and when she would move away from her
own cart to clear the passage, they stole her purse. They
admitted to using the money to purchase merchandise and the credit cards as well.
They also stated that this was their normal lifestyle and that they were used
to selling the merchandise they stole in big city centers. It
also turned out that the thieves operated under a variety of aliases, and that
there were warrants issued for their arrests in various localities including Mexico
City. Organized delinquency The
delegate for the Attorney General's Office, Marco Roberto Juárez González
commented that organized delinquency has made its appearance here, especially
with regard to credit cards. "This is not exclusive to this town, it also
occurs in other tourist destinations like Cancún, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Acapulco,
where there is national and international tourism," he added. From
their investigations, authorities were able to determine that one of the thieves
is linked to Peruvian Aníbal Federico Loayza who was arrested here in December
and transported to Guadalajara where a warrant had been issued for his arrest
to stand trial for fraud. Miss R. would like to thank
the people who helped her publicly. They are: Elba Padilla
Guillestegui, Owner of Numero Uno Realty Co., who spent numerous hours helping
her fill out police reports, participated in the "stakeout" at the bus
station for two evenings and then spent all day on New Year's Day with her at
the Ministerio Publico in Las Juntas. "She is remarkable and I know she had
many business and social commitments during this period of time; nonetheless,
she was there for me and gave generously of her precious time." Lucero
Garcia--employee at PVR Travel. "When I called her on Sunday, Dec. 29 to
inquire whether she remembered anyone purchasing tickets with my credit card,
she immediately responded that she remembered four persons who were in the travel
agency the afternoon of the 28th (date of the theft), and one of them purchased
four tickets (with my stolen American Express card) for all of them to travel
from PVR to Mexico City. She faxed me copies of the tickets so that we had evidence
for the police." Israel Sebedra--manager at Office
Depot "who remembered two of the thieves (the younger ones) purchasing a
Hewlett Packard laptop with my stolen American Express Card. The amount of the
purchase was over $2,000 USD. He graciously allowed me and my attorney to view
the video of the purchase transaction which occurred in the afternoon of Dec.
28." Oscar, the Manager of ETN, who cooperated fully
and was extremely professional in helping with the capture of the thieves. Others
who provided exceptional service were Cresencio Etzael Garcia Saracco, Secretario,
Ministerio Publicio in Las Juntas--who was very professional and worked extraordinarily
hard on this case to make certain all of the facts were documented. Claudio Sanchez,
American Express in PVR, who provided excellent service when her replacement card
did not arrive as promised from the U.S., and finally Sra. Alicia at Immigration,
for her exceptional service in helping to replace Miss R.'s FM-3.
Insufficient
Tourist Information about Fraud Risks The local office
of PROFECO, the Federal Consumer Protection agency, denied having the capacity
to interfere in the control of beach vendors and consequently it cannot sanction
the abuses they commit. On the other hand, it recognized that there is a lack
of information for tourists that would warn them about the situation. "If
they use the services or buy the products on the beaches, they run the risk of
being taken advantage of," the head of the Service Unit of PROFECO stated. Eufemia
Martinez pointed out that as this is an "informal" business, PROFECO
cannot check the activity of the vendors. She added that the Regulations Department
of City Hall should be the one to handle the matter. Upon stressing the fact that
this is something that goes on daily, Ms. Martinez acknowledged that there is
a lack of information using posters and signs that would warn consumers about
the disadvantages of "informal" business dealings and the risks involved. In
the case of poor services or facilities in a hotel, i.e.: lack of running water,
etc., the head of PROFECO in Vallarta stated that affected tourists should demand
a refund and a transfer to another hotel. Tourists should report any discrepancies,
otherwise PROFECO cannot help them.
Taxis
Increase Rates 2003 has barely begun and already the
city's taxis have started up again.
In the first two weeks of the month, various
complaints were lodged against them because besides appearing to be most concerned
with picking up the foreign tourists in town now (as opposed to locals or Mexican
nationals), their rates are higher.
Breakfast
for Charlie's Club In recent days, a breakfast event
took place at La Hacienda Restaurant, as a token of thanks on the part of Charlie's
Club to all those businesses and businessmen who had lent their support to the
Club. Carlitos, as he is known to his parents and friends,
has worked hard to help special children like himself. Ever since he and his parents
arrived in Vallarta, they have tried ways to organize events that would benefit
underprivileged special children. Carlitos also advised
us of the next event, scheduled to take place at the Mayan Palace on January 25th
to celebrate the Day of the Magi for special children, when they will receive
toys and fun. Anyone wishing to contribute to this worthy
cause is invited to call 044 (322) 779-0331.
New
"Los Arcos" an Insult - Colunga Famous
sculptor Alejandro Colunga, creator of "La Rotunda del Mar" grouping
of sculptures on the Malecon, recently stated that in his opinion, the new "Los
Arcos" were "an insult… I would have returned them to Sr. Macedonio
(the mayor of the town of Zapopan who donated the stone and the labor to replace
the arches destroyed last October 25th by Hurricane Kenna). It was a gift they
should have declined, because they are not even a caricature of the original,
they could have done something more beautiful." He added, "they look
like toys, they are disgusting, I think they should be changed." Maria
José Zorrilla, head of the city's Department of Culture, complained that
the new arches were installed in the wrong place despite the fact that she had
told the people in charge of the requirements of the forum. She even made marks
on the ground to show them where they should be built. Instead, the new Arcos
were put up further upstage, thus reducing the space available to performers.
McDonald's
Helps Handicapped Children The local chapter of the
Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation recently donated 19 hearing aids to children
with hearing problems. The event took place during a ceremony held at the restaurant's
branch in the Plaza Marina shopping center. Each of those hearing aids is valued
at approximately U.S.$900. The donation is the result
of a fund-raising campaign held last November 20th, World Day of the Child, when
the over 260 McDonald's restaurants in Mexico collected the proceeds of all their
sales that day (Big Macs, McTrios, Happy Faces, etc.) to donate to the children.
The chain raised enough to purchase 1,377 hearing aids which were then distributed
throughout the various regions of the country to help the little ones hear better
and change their lives forever. The work done by the Foundation
sets a good example to follow as it demonstrates how people can share in order
to help turn the dreams of many youngsters into reality, integrating them into
daily life as they overcome their handicaps.
Allegro
Airlines to Fly Chicago-PV Last Thursday, January
16th, Allegro Airlines marked the official start of its regular operations to
this port with flights covering the Chicago-Bajío-Puerto Vallarta route.
These flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays with connections to Oakland,
CA, Las Vegas, Nevada, Tijuana in Baja California and optionally, Toluca which
is located right next to Mexico City. The planes that
will offer this service are MD-80 models with a capacity for 165 passengers. Allegro
will charge U.S.$ 202. airfare for a one-way flight to Chicago, Illinois, and
U.S.$ 139. to Las Vegas, Nevada. One-way flights to Oakland, CA, will cost U.S.$
199.
Mexicana Reduces Rates to Face
Competition As of January 7th, Mexicana airlines introduced
a reduced rate of $1,175. pesos for one-way ticket to persons wishing to travel
from here to Mexico City and back. The move came as a reaction to the arrival
of Azteca Airlines in this city, a competitor that began offering the same Puerto
Vallarta-Mexico City route on January 1st. In addition,
Mexican began operating direct Puerto Vallarta-Denver flights on the same day,
January 7th. Those will fly on Sundays, Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. Regular
direct flights to Chicago will continue throughout the high season, twice a week,
and Star Alliance member Air Canada will continue to operate its regular flights
to and from Canada until April 22, 2003.
Cruise
Ship Arrivals Up in 2002 The Port Authorities reported
the arrival of 175 cruise ships during 2002, representing an increase of 45% in
comparison with the previous year when 120 ships came into this port. In
2001, Puerto Vallarta welcomed 239,000 passengers off the ships, while last year
330,000 disembarked to visit the town, an increase of 39%. This
trend is projected to continue this year as 188 arrivals have been scheduled so
far that should bring approximately 360,000 visitors. Such an increase had been
foreseen as far back as the year 2000 thanks to the promotional work done by the
port authorities at the various cruise trade fairs in which they have participated
over the last few years. This year, Port Authorities representatives
intend to attend major events such as the "Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention"
and the "Cruise-A-Thon" to continue promoting this destination.
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