Raleigh woman jailed in Honduras returning home

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) — A Raleigh woman who’s been stuck in Honduras since July 30 after she was arrested trying to board a flight home has finally been allowed to leave the country. Amanda LaRoque told family members she was on board a plane Wednesday afternoon.

LaRoque went to Honduras on a house-hunting vacation, but was stopped when airport security became suspicious of a so-called “can safe”. The device was a fake Arizona Iced Tea can that was actually a personal safe for hiding valuables.

The safe had a white material in its lining that police suspected was cocaine and detained Laroque on drug charges while it was sent off for testing.

After the test came back negative for cocaine, charges against LaRoque were dropped at a hearing. But, she and her husband still couldn’t leave because the local prosecutor wouldn’t return her passport pending an appeal of the dismissal.