Yeah, hindsight is always 20-20. Shoulda, coulda, woulda, but live and learn. Now when I visit TJ, I hide my passport card and my wad of cash on my body where it isn't too easy to find, and keep some ones and fives, and a throwaway ID in a throwaway wallet in my back pocket as bait.
Interestingly enough, years after this incident, I was arrested by a legitimate uniformed cop and taken to jail. Ordered a beer, quaffed it, forget I didn't have any money left in my pocket. After some hours of sobering up at the jail, I pulled a 50 out my secret place, paid my fine and headed back to the zona for more of the same.