Brit, 28, facing 60 years in US prison for 'trying to smuggle £3.5m of cocaine from Mexico'

Kim Hall, 28, was caught with 43kg of cocaine successful her suitcases astatine Chicago’s O’Hare airdrome - wherever she was owed to get connected her connecting formation location to Manchester

A young Brit faces 60 years down bars successful the US aft allegedly smuggling £3.5m worthy of cocaine in her suitcases from Mexico.

Kim Hall, 28, was caught successful the enactment astatine Chicago’s O’Hare airdrome wherever she was owed to get connected her connecting formation location to Manchester. Homeland Security investigators detained the beautician aft discovering 43kg of cocaine packed successful 2 suitcases.

But Kim claims 2 men forced her to smuggle the drugs aft offering her a escaped travel to Cancun and past threatening her erstwhile she arrived. Her household backmost location successful the UK accidental “the lone happening she's blameworthy of is being anserine and being naive”.

Her dada John, 59, said she had met the men, who claimed they were spot developers, connected an earlier travel to Portugal. They invited her to enactment with them and past offered her a escaped holiday, but allegedly coerced her taking 2 suitcases location which she claims they had packed, and that she thought contained $250,000 successful cash.

John told The Sun: “She's not a cause smuggler. She was told that it would beryllium wealth she was carrying. They got her telephone and threatened her household and that’s wherefore she did it. She'd been to Portugal with a person and met radical implicit determination who contacted her erstwhile she was backmost saying they were into existent property successful Mexico and she could spell for a escaped holiday.

“Her person declined but she said she would go. She's ne'er been into trouble, thing astatine all. She’s had a bully upbringing and has ever worked for her money. The lone happening she's blameworthy of is being anserine and being naive.”

Kim, from Middlesbrough, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to present pursuing her apprehension successful August. The sheer measurement of drugs seized means the 28-year-old finds herself facing 1 of the harshest sentences, with Class X Felonies typically carrying 15-60 years successful prison.

She is present being held successful Chicago and is awaiting trial, which could commence a twelvemonth from now. Her household person truthful acold forked retired £28,000 for a section attorney, and accidental they're distressed astir her carnal and intelligence well-being.

John added: “For the archetypal fewer weeks, you couldn't talk to her for the tears. She said: ‘You don't recognize what they were threatening maine with’. That's arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin get retired of her. She's petrified. Without a shadiness of a uncertainty she was forced into carrying this worldly back. And I'm not conscionable saying that to effort and support my daughter. I'm telling you that arsenic a begetter who knows a girl wrong out.”

A Cook County tribunal spokeswoman said: “Her adjacent quality is connected November 13.”