Pretty bike, but that’s a pretty bad hombre sitting on it…
Difficult not to notice the stereotypes being portrayed here… Are all bikers bad? I don’t think so. But here we are. In Mexico. So the bad guys are Mexican. Call me crazy, but where the heck is this going? I doubt that James Allen even knows…
The Daily Trail 
I remain convinced, until proven wrong beyond a reasonable doubt, that this is all a James Allen head fake and in fact Joe, Pablo and Raul are undercover good guys working to bust the ancient artifact smuggling ring. Wheels within wheels, my friends. Wheels within wheels.
I’ll check back around the holidays to see whether my theory continues to remain viable.
Yes, that’s what I’ve been posting, as well, Richard. All these people “look” suspicious, but it will turn out that they are undercover cops. This would explain why Mark doesn’t mind the kids tagging along with this goof-ball, sleepy van driver, whom I have theorized is the senior agent in charge. And that is why they want to get the kids out of the way now, so they can bring this case to a close.
On the other hand, the first panel in today’s strip tends to suggest just the opposite: That the ARE bad guys, else why would it matter if Pablo had been seen? Still, I’m not willing to give it up just yet.