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NOGALES, Mexico — A mother from Arizona is facing a potentially difficult road ahead after being arrested in Mexico and accused of smuggling 12 pounds of marijuana. Family, friends and a Mexican official claim she was framed.
Yanira Maldonado was arrested May 22 in Sonora while traveling in Mexico for a funeral. Her bus was stopped at a military checkpoint and all passengers were asked to get off.
Initially, officials claimed to have found the marijuana under husband Gary Maldonado's seat and arrested him, only to later claim the pot was under his wife's seat and an empty seat next to her. She was then arrested and eventually taken to a holding facility in Nogales.
"She's cried a lot, and she's just scared," Amy Rayner, Maldonado's sister-in-law, told KSL. "She's really scared; she doesn't know what's going to happen."
According to the New York Daily News, Maldonado is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Her husband said the arrest was really about money, saying the military personnel wanted a bribe.
"From what I hear, that's a regular occurrence," he said.
An unnamed Mexican official seemed to agree.
I broke down in tears, but she just told me that she was going to get out,
–Anna Soto
"A passenger by himself or herself would have been unable to carry almost six kilos of marijuana onto a bus without being noticed," the official told CNN. "She must've been framed."
Maldonado's daughter, Anna Soto, and other family members were able to visit with her over the weekend.
"When Gary and Angel got to see her, one was able to put one hand in one little hole and another hole and got to hold her hand," Rayner told KSL. "They could hardly see her through the holes in the jail wall."
Arizona Senator and BYU graduate Jeff Flake's office said he has his eye on the situation.
"Senator Flake is personally monitoring the situation, and he has had multiple conversations with the deputy Mexican ambassador this weekend," his office told CNN.
Maldonado appeared in court Tuesday. Family told KSL four witnesses testified, including Gary Maldonado. The family expected her to be released, but she remained in custody as of Tuesday night.
