A British beautician accused of smuggling £15million worth of cocaine in her suitcases has claimed she believed she had transported two bags of ‘cash’ from Mexico to Britain.
Kim Hall, 28, from Middlesbrough, was stopped at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport as she prepared for a connecting flight to Manchester on August 18.
Homeland Security investigators found 43 kg of cocaine packed in two suitcases before arresting the young woman.
Now facing 60 years in prison, Ms Hall claims she agreed to take home two suitcases for a pair of British men, believing the bags contained only cash.
She insists she had to carry the bags at gunpoint after being offered the free holiday to Mexico by the two men she befriended on a previous trip to Portugal – who said they had real estate interests in Central America.
In addition, Ms. Hall claimed that her psychiatrist believes she was in the middle of a manic episode when she agreed to carry the suitcases.
Kim Hall, 28, (pictured) is accused of smuggling £15million worth of cocaine in her suitcases
Ms Hall claims she agreed to take home two suitcases for a pair of British men, assuming the bags only contained cash
Speak with The sunMrs Hall said: ‘I’m not a bad person. I’ve never had any problems in my life and I’m not guilty of what they’re accusing me of.
“They held a gun to my head and threatened to shoot me.”
As her weeklong trip to Cancun came to an end, Ms. Hall claimed the men asked her to bring back two suitcases, which they said contained $250,000 in cash.
‘I agreed because there was no reason not to. It was just money and I didn’t see anything wrong with it,” she said.
The beautician claimed she missed her flight due to a timing mix-up, after which one of the men held a gun to her head and threatened her.
‘I shouted at them to let me go. “I thought, ‘I’m going to die if I don’t have this money with me,’” she said.
When Ms. Hall finally caught a flight home, she landed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport for a connection to London. At that point, officials conducted a random bag check because they suspected she had two suitcases.
Ms Hall also claimed her psychiatrist believes she was in the middle of a manic episode when she agreed to carry the suitcases
An aerial view of Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where Ms. Hall was searched and detained
Cook County Jail in South Lawndale, a community in Chicago on the West Side
Kim is pictured with her mother Tracy. Kim’s parents have both maintained that she is innocent
The young woman collapsed in tears as she was handcuffed and taken to jail.
Ms Hall is now under house arrest and only allowed out two days a week, with two electronic tags attached to her.
Her father John Hall, 59, previously defended his daughter, saying the only thing she is guilty of is ‘stupidity and naivete’.
He told the Sun: “She is not a drug smuggler. She was told it would be money she had on her.
“They took her phone and threatened her family and that’s why she did it.
‘She had been to Portugal with a friend and met people there who contacted her when she returned and said they were eyeing properties in Mexico and she could go on holiday for free.’
He added that she was “petrified” after telling him that “you don’t understand what they threatened me with.”
Following her arrest in August, Ms. Hall was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver after her arrest in August.
Due to the amount of drugs seized, this crime falls into the highest category of sentencing, with Class X Felony carrying a prison sentence of 15 to 60 years.