A 28-year-old British woman has been detained in the US state of Illinois after she was arrested inside Chicago airport.
Beautician Kimberly Hall from Middlebrough was arrested after she was allegedly found to have 43 kg of cocaine in her luggage.
At the time of her arrest, Ms Hall had just arrived in Chicago on a flight from Cancun, Mexico and was due to depart on a connecting flight to Manchester, England.
She is currently detained in Cook County Sheriff’s Office awaiting trial where she could face up to 60 years in American jail.
Ms Hall’s father, John, has told The Sun his daughter was “threatened” and coerced into carrying bags she believed were full of cash.
John said: “She’s not a drug smuggler. She was told that it would be money she was carrying.
“They got her phone and threatened her family and that’s why she did it.”
He added: “She’s never been in trouble, nothing at all. She’s had a good upbringing and has always worked for her money. The only thing she’s guilty of is being stupid and naive.”
The cocaine allegedly trafficked by Ms Hall in two suitcases is estimated to have a street value of up to £3.5 million.
According to her family, Ms Hall had been offered a free holiday by people she had met earlier on a separate trip to Portugal.
The group claimed they were property developers and she was reportedly invited to vacation with them in Cancun.
While there, Ms Hall’s father reported she was coerced into carrying two bags home which she believed were loaded with $250,000 in cash.
The self-employed 28-year-old has since been charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver.
In Illinois, Class X drug trafficking charges can result in a sentence of between 15 and 60 years in jail, in addition to a fine of up to $500,000.
