Welcome Spring Breakers! Hope you all enjoy our wonderful town and weather! Peñasco will be very, busy for the next few months between Spring Break, Semana Santa and holidays which brings me to some good news!!! We finally got confirmation from CBP that our Lukeville Port of Entry will have extended border hours on 4 U.S. Federal Holiday Weekends this year. The Sonoyta/Lukeville border will be open until 10PM on the Friday and Monday of these holiday weekends: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day. Not as many as we had in 2022, but at least we got something.

Rocky Point has gotten so popular and is getting more and more visitors every single day. We get new readers and subscribers every day which is why we created our Information Pages and why we keep them in every issue. I urge new visitors to read these pages so that you become acquainted with some very important laws and rules in Mexico such as what you can legally bring in and out, vehicle insurance requirements, importation laws, etc. There are tons of things that Mexico does differently than the U.S. because, obviously, they are their own country with their own set of laws, their own justice system and their own way of doing things whether we think them ridiculous, silly or unfair. Mexico is NOT an extension of the U.S. contrary to popular belief and some things are extremely frowned upon here like crossing the border with a firearm in your vehicle. Not just frowned upon, but illegal…jail time illegal. Over the past couple of years people being jailed for crossing the border with guns and ammo in their vehicle has been on the rise. Many cases seem to be people forgetting that they have a gun in their car most likely because they are Arizona residents and Arizona is an open carry state and that is just part of their everyday life. I know many of you call b.s. as I would do as well had I not done it myself when I was a kid (maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime when we’re at the bar): Things get overlooked, forgotten and mistakes happen, but Mexico doesn’t care. If you cross the border with guns or ammo in your vehicle you WILL go to jail. Period. I just want everyone to be super vigilant about sweeping your vehicle, or the vehicle you are driving, before coming down to Rocky Point. Don’t even let one empty shell casing roll under your seat from your day out target shooting. No guns, no ammo, no shell casings…nada. We don’t want you to end up in jail nor do we want the bad rap. This may seem harsh to some, but it is YOUR personal responsibility to know the laws of the country that you are entering. This goes for drugs too – might as well go all the way! Marijuana and items that contain THC are legal in AZ, CA and many other states but not in Mexico. Yes, I’ve heard that a small amount for personal use is supposed to be legal in Mexico, but do you want to be the one explaining that to the National Guard at the border…in Spanish? Not me! NO vape pens, no gummies, no flower…nada. Same thing goes for bringing in more alcohol than you’re allowed or not importing items that you should. Breaking the law can result in vehicle confiscation, hefty fines and jail time. We want you to have a great time when you come to Rocky Point so “know before you go” as they say. And remember that we are always happy to send out a complimentary copy of The Rocky Point Times Newspaper to anyone who is new to coming down to Rocky Point – giving it a look-see will most likely keep you out of the clink. If we don’t have the answer, we’ll find it for you.

The Rocky Point Times Newspaper will be getting a new look this summer. Unfortunately, we have come to the end of our paper procurement so we will need to go to a new size and format. This was supposed to happen almost two years ago, but our printer scoured the country and was able to find us a stockpile of the size of paper we needed so we opted not to change until we absolutely had to…that time has now come. We will look a bit different, but you’ll still know it’s us!!

On a final note, we’d like to wish our contributing writer Mark P., author of Marco n Amigo’s, a speedy recovery. You’ve probably noticed that his article is not in this month’s edition, so we hope to see him next month and hear all about his shenanigans. See you at the beach!

HOLIDAY BORDER HOURS

EXTENDED UNTIL 10PM

Memorial Day: May 26th & 29th

4th of July: June 30th & July 3rd

Labor Day: Sept. 1st & 4th

Veteran’s Day: Nov. 10th & 13th