American Mom Freed From Mexican Prison After Drug-Smuggling Charges Dropped Michael Weissenstein and Luis Castillo - Associated Press
go to original May 31, 2013

Mexican authorities released Yanira Maldonado late Thursday night (May 31). Maldonado was jailed last week when Mexican troops claimed she was smuggling drugs on a bus to Arizona. (AssociatedPress)

NOGALES, Mexico - An Arizona woman held in a Mexico jail for a week on a drug-smuggling charge was freed 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 night.

She spoke briefly, thanking U.S. state department officials, her husband, her lawyers and prison workers who made her stay comfortable.

"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.

The family's lawyer in Nogales, Jose Francisco Benitez Paz, said a judge determined Thursday that she was no longer a suspect and all allegations against her were dropped. The couple planned to immediately return to Arizona, he said.

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