Yanira Maldonado May Have Been Framed by Corrupt Officials, Says Source
Yanira Maldonado, who was detained in Mexico and accused of smuggling drugs, may have been framed by corrupt officials looking for a payout.
The situation started after Maldonado, who was on her way home from her aunt's funeral in Mexico, was on a bus that was stopped Mexican authorities. Officials conducted a search of the bus for drugs and allegedly found 12 pounds of marijuana under Maldonado's seat.
Drug searches are not uncommon in Mexico, where the fighting between warring drug cartels has left more than 50,000 dead in the past several years.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
But others with knowledge of the case suspect that this is nothing more than a shakedown by corrupt officials and judges looking for a payout. A Sonora state official with extensive knowledge of the case told CNN that there were several inconsistencies with this case and Maldanado's detainment.
"Can you imagine?" asked the official, who was not authorized to speak to the media and did not want his name published. "A passenger by himself or herself would have been unable to carry almost six kilos of marijuana onto a bus without being noticed. She must've been framed."
Her husband revealed that he was told by authorities that regardless of his wife's involvement in the situation he would be forced to pay $5,000 to ensure her release, a spokesman for the family previously stated.
The Mexican Embassy in Washington said in a statement Tuesday that Yanira's "rights to a defense counsel and due process are being observed." The embassy didn't respond to allegations that she was being framed.
Yanira, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Mexico, was released on Thursday and thanked God for providing her the strength to endure.
"Many thanks to everyone, especially my God who let me go free, my family, my children, who with their help, I was able to survive this test," she said.
