Nogales , Mexico ( CNN ) -- In the push to free an American woman from a Mexican prison , a video shown in court Thursday could be key . The security camera footage shows Yanira Maldonado and her husband boarding a bus in Mexico last week . They are carrying a purse , two blankets and two bottles of water . It 's an everyday scene that plays out at bus stations around the world . But in this case , defense attorney Francisco Benitez argues that the images are a crucial piece of evidence . Why ? Because nothing they 're carrying , he argues , could hold the amount of marijuana that Yanira Maldonado is accused of smuggling . Maldonado , a Mormon mother of seven , has been in a Mexican jail for more than a week . Authorities accuse her of trying to smuggle 12 pounds of marijuana under a bus seat . She has maintained her innocence , and the case has drawn widespread media coverage and attention from U.S. lawmakers as family members push for her freedom . The revelation of the video comes at a key juncture in the case . A Mexican judge must decide by Friday whether there 's enough evidence to charge Maldonado with drug trafficking . If she 's not charged , Maldonado must be released , Benitez said . The video footage shown in court Thursday suggests that someone else brought the marijuana aboard the bus , the lawyer said . The packages of marijuana allegedly recovered from under Maldonado 's seat would not have fit in her purse , Benitez said . Maldonado 's attorneys also presented documents that show that she and her husband , Gary , have no criminal records in the United States , Benitez said . Word that the surveillance video had been shown in court was a big relief , Gary Maldonado told reporters Thursday night . `` That was the key that would help us prove her innocence , '' he said . Prosecutors ' efforts to say the drugs could be hidden inside the blankets wo n't win the day , he said . `` It showed right on the film clear as day there 's no way you could carry 12 pounds or 5.7 kilos with one arm . You could see me fold the blankets curled up , '' he said . The Mexican military officials who arrested Maldonado have n't made their case yet in court . The soldiers were scheduled to appear Wednesday but did n't show . Maldonado 's family denies the charges and are optimistic the case against her is crumbling . Mexican authorities arrested Maldonado on May 22 as she and her husband were on their way back to Arizona . Gary Maldonado said he believes Mexican soldiers at the checkpoint wanted a bribe . A Mexican state official also told CNN it appears that Maldonado was framed . A regional office of Mexico 's defense ministry said troops conducting a routine investigation stopped the bus Maldonado was riding in and found 12.5 pounds ( 5.7 kilograms ) of a substance that appeared to be marijuana under her seat . Troops turned the case over to the Mexican attorney general 's office , the defense ministry said . Maldonado is being housed in a women 's prison in Nogales while authorities decide her fate . In an interview Wednesday with CNN , Maldonado said she has been turning to Scripture to survive the ordeal . `` Reading the Scriptures , reading the Book of Mormon , praying , fasting , '' Maldonado said . `` And all the support that I 've been getting from my family , my husband , my children and everybody out there reaching out to help . '' Family members ' tearful pleas for her release have drawn widespread media attention to the case and caught the attention of U.S. officials . `` I am watching this very , very closely , '' said Rep. Matt Salmon , R-Arizona . `` After the hearing tomorrow , if I have concerns , I may end up having to go to Mexico myself and get involved in this thing personally . '' Salmon said he 's spoken about the case with the U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Mexico 's ambassador in Washington . `` This case gets stranger by the minute , '' Salmon said , `` and I think most Americans as they 've been watching it unfold have a lot of concerns . '' Salmon said witnesses ' testimony that Maldonado was only carrying a purse when she got on the bus is among the details that caught his attention . `` What concerns me more than anything is that I want to make sure justice is met . I want to make sure that she is treated with every courtesy and fairness that we would expect in our own judicial system , '' he said . State Department officials said consular officials met with Maldonado Wednesday and last Friday , and are in regular contact by phone . U.S. diplomats are doing the same things they usually would when a U.S. citizen is arrested in a foreign country , but maybe to a higher degree because of the high-profile nature of the case , a senior administration official said . On Thursday night , Gary Maldonado said his wife was in good spirits . `` She was in a good mood , '' he said . `` She feels like she was going to get out , since we have the evidence that proves her innocence . '' CNN 's Christine Theodorou , Casey Wian , Elise Labott and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report .
NEW : This means the product will ship as received by the manufacturer, sealed, with all advertised components, and with the manufacturer warranty. Her lawyer says security camera footage is crucial evidence . Maldonado is accused of smuggling drugs on a bus . A judge has until Friday to decide whether to press formal charges .