The mother of a British woman who was allegedly caught trying to smuggle £3.5million worth of cocaine in her suitcases in the US has said she believes her daughter is innocent.
Kim Hall, 28, had travelled from Mexico to Chicago’s O’Hare airport where she was due to get on her connecting flight home to Manchester. Homeland Security investigators detained the beautician, from Middlesborough, after they reportedly discovered 43kg of cocaine packed in two suitcases.
From prison, Ms Hall claimed she believed she had been carrying cash from real estate deals and did not know the true content of what was inside the cases, the Mirror reports. She is now being held inside Cook County Jail in Illinois.
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Her mum Tracy, 58, has spoken out as her daughter now awaits trial. She said she believes her daughter is innocent and will be released from prison.
She reportedly told MailOnline: “The truth will come out, we are certain that Kim will be able to tell the real story in time.” She and Ms Halls’ sister Stephanie are now waiting for any other news and said the incident has been ‘horrendous’ for the family.
Some of Ms Hall’s friends have shared their fears about her safety in the prison where 18 people died in 2023, according to US outlet Injustice Watch. The total is the highest reported number of deaths at the facility since 2013.
A family friend told MailOnline: “Everyone is beside themselves with worry over Kim’s safety in that prison. The thought of that sweet, shy, timid girl locked up in a place like that is unbearable.
“No one could believe it when word got out that Kim had been arrested on drugs charges, you couldn’t have picked a person less likely to be involved in something like that. She’s a lovely hard working girl with her own business who has never been in trouble with the law in her life.
“After she left school she went to work in bars in Salou for a while and although she enjoyed it she really missed her family. She worships her mum and dad and is very close to them.
“She likes to be close to home and I can’t imagine what she must be going through now, stuck so far away at the other side of the world.”
Ms Hall was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver following her arrest in August. The sheer volume of drugs seized means the 28-year-old finds herself facing one of the harshest sentences, with Class X Felonies typically carrying 15-60 years in prison.
Her trial could commence a year from now. A Cook County court spokeswoman said: “Her next appearance is on November 13.”
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