Idol franchise winner arrested for smuggling heroin
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A winner of the TV talent show "Latin American Idol" who was once loved by thousands in her native Dominican Republic was charged with drug smuggling after police found heroin stuffed in the heels of her platform shoes, authorities said Thursday.
Martha Heredia was arrested late Wednesday as she was about to board a plane to New York, said Frank Duran, the National Drug Control Agency's director for the city of Santiago.
He said police found 2.9 pounds (1.3 kilograms) of heroin in the heels of three pairs of shoes packed in her suitcase. Police also ordered Heredia to undergo X-ray tests to determine whether she had any drugs hidden inside her body, but none were found.
Duran said police are interrogating Heredia to determine whether she was working as a mule for a drug-trafficking organization. Prosecutor Luisa Liranzo said Heredia does not yet have an attorney. If found guilty, she could face more than 10 years in prison.
The 22-year-old had become a star in the Dominican Republic after she won the final "Latin American Idol" contest in 2009. The show, which ran for three years, was a Spanish-language version of the popular British "Idols" franchise.
Heredia, nicknamed "La Baby" because of her penchant for calling people "baby", disappeared shortly after all the fanfare, drawing speculations including that she was pregnant. Then her name was back in the news for different reasons.
In December 2010, Heredia hit and killed a teenage Haitian boy with her car as he tried to cross a highway by foot. She was later ordered to pay his family some $275,000 as part of a lawsuit. The boy's relatives were angered that she did not meet with them to offer her condolences.
In December 2010, Heredia hit and killed a teenage Haitian boy with her car as he tried to cross a highway by foot. She was later ordered to pay his family some $275,000 as part of a lawsuit. The boy's relatives were angered that she did not meet with them to offer her condolences.
Sounds a mess tbh
