Mormon mother-of-seven is falsely held in Mexican prison for smuggling marijuana 'after she fails to pay $5,000 bribe to judge in time', her distraught husband claims

Yanira Maldonado and her husband were stopped at military checkpoint on her way back to the U.S. from a funeral last week



Police 'found marijuana under her seat' and charged her with smuggling



Attorney 'told them to raise funds to bribe their way out of the situation'

Mrs Maldonado, who does not drink or take drugs, has a hearing Monday

A Mormon mother from Phoenix is being falsely held in a Mexican prison for smuggling marijuana after the family failed to bribe a judge soon enough, they have claimed.

Yanira Maldonado was returning home with her husband after attending her aunt's funeral in Mexico last week when their bus was stopped and police claimed drugs had been found beneath her seat.

When she was hauled into a prison, an attorney told her husband Gary to raise money to give to a judge because 'that's how it works here', her family said.

But when the couple, who have seven children and two grandchildren between them, scraped together $5,000 for her release, they still refused to free her.



Separated: Yanira Maldonado was with her husband Gary, both pictured, when they were stopped in Mexico and accused of smuggling drugs. Mr Maldonado remains in a Mexican prison

Her family is now seeking the help of their state Senator and hoping to raise awareness of her plight, in the hopes it will lead to her release.

They claim that the Mormon mother, who does not drink or take drugs, is innocent.



Maldonado and her husband were returning to Phoenix from her aunt's funeral when their bus was stopped at a military checkpoint near Hermosillo.

When the federales searched the bus, they claimed they found drugs under a seat where the couple - the only Americans onboard - had been sitting.

They initially charged Mr Maldonado but then let him go before charging his wife instead.

'Never in our lives deal with drugs or do drugs,' Mr Maldonado told Fox 10 . ' Everybody from the very beginning was telling us, "We know you guys aren't guilty, but this is just the process".'

'Innocent': The Maldonados, who are Mormon, said they do not even drink and have never taken drugs

Family: The couple, who have seven children between them

He called it 'the most frightening feeling you could ever imagine', adding that fellow passengers saw them board the bus without packages, so he is hopeful that justice with prevail.



A Mexican attorney told the couple to raise cash, Mrs Maldonado's brother-in-law Brandon Klippel told CBS 5 .

'His attorney had talked to the prosecuting attorney there and came back to him and said, "You know how it works in Mexico, right?"' Klippel said. 'He said, "No I don't." The attorney said, "Well, if we bribe the judge – then he'll let you go".'

But when they took the money to them, they were told it was no longer about the money.

'Bribes': The couple were told they could pay off the judge because 'that's how things work here'

A couple of days after her arrest, she was transferred to a women's jail in Nogales, but the family was not informed. When her husband went to visit her, he was told she had been sent elsewhere.

'He panicked,' his brother, Klippel, said. 'He told me terror struck him. And he thought, for that period of time, that he'd never see his wife again.'

But on Saturday, he tracked her down to the holding cell and visited with one of their sons.



'She had a rough night,' Klippel said. 'Their interrogation included putting her in a non-air-conditioned room and waking her up several times in the middle of night – trying to get her to sign documents that she said she couldn't read.'

Stopped: The couple were returning from a funeral when they were stopped at a checkpoint (file picture)

Family members said Mrs Maldonado had started crying during the visit, but said that she had faith others would help.

Senator Jeff Flake's office said he is personally monitoring the situation and has spoken with the deputy Mexican ambassador.

Yanira Maldonado has an attorney and will appear at a hearing in front of a judge on Monday.

'In Mexico, I guess you're guilty until proven innocent,' said Klippel. 'So, it's just been a real nightmare for them.'