A young Hollywood actor convicted of drug smuggling in Pakistan has been released from jail, following an appeal by prominent New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, his office said on Thursday. Erik Aude, 24, who took small roles in films, including 2000's "Dude, Where's My Car?" has been held in Pakistan for nearly three years, but has always proclaimed his innocence.
"Erik Aude's mother called me to say her son had been released earlier today (Thursday) and to thank Governor Richardson," Billy Sparks, spokesman to Richardson, a former US ambassador to the United Nations told AFP.
Aude was arrested at the Islamabad Airport as he tried to leave Pakistan in early 2002, when 3.6kg of opium was found in his luggage. He was convicted of drug offences and sentenced to seven years in jail in January 2003.
The aspiring actor had travelled to Pakistan as a courier to pick up leather samples from a manufacturer in Islamabad, and was returning to the United States when he was arrested. Aude maintained that the opium found in the lining of the suitcase had been placed there without his knowledge.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.