"Ariz. woman freed from Mexico jail is back in US" by Cristina Silva | Associated Press, June 01, 2013
NOGALES, Mexico — An Arizona woman held in a Mexican jail for a week after federal police said they found 12 pounds of marijuana under her bus seat was freed and returned to the US after a court reviewed her case, including key security footage, and dismissed the allegations.
Yanira Maldonado, 42, walked out of the prison on the outskirts of Nogales, Mexico, and into her husband’s arms late Thursday and crossed through the Nogales port of entry into Arizona. After spending the night in a hotel, she drove away with a police escort at midmorning on Friday and was expected to return to her Phoenix-area home to be reunited with her children.
Maldonado spoke briefly after her release, thanking State Department officials, her husband, her lawyers, and prison workers who made her stay comfortable.
Maldonado also said at a news conference later that she still loves Mexico, and the experience will not stop her from returning in the future to visit family there.
‘‘It’s not Mexico’s fault. It’s a few people who did this to me and probably other people, who knows?’’ Maldonado said. ‘‘I’m still going to go back.’’
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Maldonado’s release came hours after court officials reviewed security footage that showed the couple boarding a commercial bus traveling from Mexico to Phoenix with only blankets, bottles of water, and her purse in hand.
US politicians portrayed her as a victim of a corrupt judicial system and demanded her release, with Arizona congressmen saying they were working closely with Mexican authorities.
The judge had until late Friday to decide whether to free Maldonado or send her to another prison in Mexico while state officials built their case.
Maldonado was arrested by the Mexican military last week after they found nearly 12 pounds of pot under her seat during a security checkpoint.
Benitez noted it was a fairly sophisticated smuggling effort that included packets of drugs attached to the seat bottoms with metal hooks — a task that would have been impossible for a passenger.
Maldonado’s husband, Gary, said he originally was arrested after the drugs was found under his wife’s bus seat. But after Yanira Maldonado begged the soldiers to allow her to come along to serve as a translator, the military officials decided to release him and arrest her instead. Gary Maldonado alleges authorities initially demanded $5,000 for his wife’s release, but the bribe fell through.
Prosecutors are appealing the ruling....
Don't knock it.
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"Ariz. mother of 7 fights drug allegation in Mexico" by CRISTINA SILVA | Associated Press, May 30, 2013
PHOENIX — A mother from Arizona accused of trying to smuggle marijuana into the United States had a court hearing Wednesday where her lawyer pushed for her release from a Mexico prison on the grounds that she was set up.
The arrest of Yanira Maldonado, 42, has prompted outrage in the United States among politicians and her family members, who say she was framed when her bus was stopped at a military checkpoint last week and authorities found nearly 12 pounds of marijuana under her seat.
She and her husband, Gary Maldonado, said they were returning from the funeral of her aunt at the time of the arrest. Gary Maldonado says authorities originally demanded $5,000 for her release, but the bribe fell through. The husband was initially suspected of smuggling, but later released.
In court Wednesday, Maldonado’s lawyer argued before the judge that soldiers had presented inconsistent testimony about the two packages of marijuana that they had recovered, with some saying both were found under the woman’s seat and others saying they were found under two separate seats.
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