"Is that cheese?" - Woman smuggles 43 kilograms of cocaine

Chicago - The British woman Kim Hall (28) had 43 kilograms of cocaine in her luggage. When she was approached by security guards, she pleaded not guilty. She thought there was cheese in the suitcases!

The woman faces a prison sentence of up to 60 years after she was caught with the cocaine-filled suitcases.

During a routine check at Chicago airport, the 28-year-old was pulled out by the Homeland Security Department. During the check, the officers found cocaine worth a good 18 million euros.

Kim Hall told The Sun that she was innocent and knew nothing about the contents of the suitcase. According to her own statement, she was asked by two Britons to transfer the suitcases to England.

"I am not a drug dealer and I will fight tooth and nail for my innocence," she added to The Sun. She took the suitcases with her because she "saw nothing wrong" with them.

The drama began when Kim was offered a free vacation in Mexico by two men. The three knew each other from a previous vacation in Portugal and had become friends there.

At the end of their trip to Mexico, the men asked her to take two suitcases back to England as a favor. They were supposed to contain around 240,000 euros in cash.

As the men are said to have threatened her, Kim agreed to the deal. She said: "He said, 'I'm going to fucking shoot you'. That was the scariest thing I've ever experienced ...". The British are also said to have taken her cell phone and passport.

The British woman was then pulled out by security officers at O'Hare Airport on August 18.

They had become suspicious because Kim was traveling with two suitcases. During the check, the officers discovered the cocaine.

Kim said: "It looked like papier-mâché and was covered in some kind of oil. My next thought was: 'Is that cheese? However, the officers immediately recognized that it was a narcotic and handcuffed Kim.

For the offense of smuggling more than 900 grams of cocaine (in her case as much as 43 kilograms!), the 28-year-old faces up to 60 years in prison.

In the next few weeks, Kim will have to stand trial for unauthorized possession of a controlled substance and intent to transport it.