Heartstopping moment family is stopped by Mexican cartel in middle of the road

A terrifying moment a family is stopped by the Mexican cartel while driving down a road at night has gone viral on social media.

The incident shows a father quickly telling his son that they are about to be approached by the cartel before an apparent member demands they pay a toll fee.

The video has so far been viewed more than 4.3 million times since being posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the Crazy Clips page on October 13.

The shocking incident occurred in 2020 and was recorded on a cell phone after the pair drove into Mexico through the United States border, according to a Mail Online report.

The footage only shows the face of the father driving the vehicle and the alleged cartel member who speaks to the driver through the window.

CrazyClips/X

“Put it in park. You have to pay a fee to the Northeast Cartel so that you can leave and body bothers you. Put the phone away please. I don’t want to take it away,” the man said to the driver, according to a translation of the video.

During the encounter, the cartel member shines a torch light into the car and another man is seen walking on the roadside with him.

“You have to pay $1,000 dollars to the cartel here. $500 and $500 so that you can go on your merry way, I am going to give you a code”, the cartel member told the pair.

“It is for your own protection. Help him out as well, sir.”

The driver is then seen pulling out some money, counting it and handing to the cartel member, who begins counting it himself.

Just before the video ended, the father announced that they only had $300 as they had just paid a fee at the customs station after crossing the Mexico-Texas border.

CrazyClips/X

It is not clear where exactly the altercation took place, however, it is possible it happened after the family drove over the Laredo International Bridge that links el Paso, Texas with Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, or the Juárez–Lincoln International Bridge connecting Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.

Some social media users questioned what they would do if they were ever caught in such a situation.

While some argued that they would do their best to drive off and escape, other X users noted that it is possible the alleged cartel members could have been armed or give chase to the fleeing vehicle.