Arizona Mormon Mom Jailed On Drug Charges In Mexico - Allegedly For Not Offering Bribe: Yanira Maldonado's Arrest Is "About Money"

An Arizona mother has been jailed in Mexico on drug charges - possibly for not bribing officials quickly enough. The Mormon mother of seven children from Arizona was arrested after marijuana was found under her seat on a commercial bus. Her family says that this "nightmare" is "about money".

All who knew Yanira Maldonado say that she is innocent, and that the marijuana found under her seat was not hers. Her family says the arrest was a mistake, and that she should not be in prison in Nogales, Mexico. The fact that she is, they claim, has to do with Mexico's corrupt justice system.

"Never in our lives did we deal with drugs, or do drugs," her husband, Gary Maldonado, told press.

The couple's daughter, Anna Soto, 21, said, "If you would've known my mom, if you would've met her - you would know she had nothing to do with it."

In Mexico, extortion of foreigners is a long-standing practice in certain corrupt sectors. Allegedly, bribes are often expected. According to Soto, an attorney suggested that her father offer cash to the police in exchange for his wife's release. When Gary Maldonado was able to raise $5,000, the money was refused - because, they suspect, by then it was too late.

"He took it to them and they said, 'Oh, it's not about the money anymore'," Soto said.

Soto visited her mom in prison on Sunday. "She started crying and...she's like, 'I have faith that people will help us, that we will get out of this together as a family', she told press.

Allegedly, the marijuana was found under the bus seats where the Mormon couple, both of whom are US citizens, were sitting. They were returning from a funeral in Mexico to their Phoenix, Arizona-area home. Officers first told Gary he was under arrest, but then realized they'd made a mistake and that the drugs were under his wife's seat. They then arrested Yanira Maldonado and took her away. Gary frantically tried to locate his wife and didn't find her until the next morning. During that time, a relative of Yanira told press, she "had a rough night. 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," Brandon Klippel told press.

"You hear all of these horror stories about Mexico and you think it's just something in the movies, right?" said Klippel, "You don't believe it's something that could happen to someone you know. But, when it happens to your brother and your sister - it's hard, it's tough to take."

The family has called on U.S. Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who spoke to Maldonado on Sunday and whose office released a statement saying he is "personally monitoring the situation and has had multiple conversations with the deputy Mexican ambassador."

Yanira Maldonado remains in prison in Mexico on drug charges. Her husband and children hope that she is released soon.