Nogales , Mexico ( CNN ) -- An American woman who was released from a Mexican jail cried out for joy when she crossed the border into Arizona . `` I 'm home ! Finally ! '' Yanira Maldonado exclaimed . Mexican authorities detained her last week and put her behind bars over allegations she tried to smuggle 12 pounds of marijuana under a bus seat . She and her husband , Gary , were traveling from Mexico back to the United States when their bus was stopped and searched . Yanira Maldonado allegedly was sitting above the illegal stash . Maldonado 's case sparked widespread media coverage and attention from U.S. lawmakers as family members pushed for her freedom . At a press conference early Friday in Nogales , Arizona , she thanked journalists , crediting them for her expedited release . The quality of her conditions in jail also improved as the media coverage increased , she told CNN affiliate KPNX-TV in Phoenix . A court official delivered the good news to her in jail Thursday . `` I screamed , '' Maldonado said . The Arizonan and mother of seven had consistently denied the charges against her , and the court determined that the prosecutors did not provide evidence . Her husband , Gary , tearfully embraced his wife after her release . Though the court released her back to the United States , legal proceedings are not completely over , Gary Maldonado said . But his wife 's attorney in Mexico will take care of them in her absence . Opinion : Shakedown 'justice ' in Mexico . Security footage revealed . Security camera footage revealed in court Thursday shows 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 argued that the images were a crucial piece of evidence . Why ? Because nothing they 're carrying , he said , could hold the amount of marijuana that Maldonado was accused of smuggling . Video footage suggests that someone else brought the marijuana aboard the bus , the lawyer said . Packages of the illegal substance allegedly recovered from under Maldonado 's seat would not have fit in her purse , Benitez said . Big relief . Her attorneys also presented documents that show that she and her husband have no criminal records in the United States , Benitez said . Word that the surveillance video had been shown in court was a big relief , her husband said . `` That was the key that would help us prove her innocence , '' 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 , '' he said . The Mexican military officials who arrested Maldonado did n't make their case in court . The soldiers were scheduled to appear Wednesday but did n't show . Opinion : Americans still captive in global power games . Official : She was framed . Mexican authorities arrested Maldonado , a U.S. citizen , 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 . Yanira Maldonado does not necessarily think she was directly targeted . `` Someone smuggled those in there , and I probably sat in the wrong seat , '' she said . Nonetheless , she called on those who arrested her to `` repent , '' find `` respectable work '' and stop making people suffer . 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 was held in a women 's prison in Nogales , Mexico . Tearful pleas . In an interview Wednesday with CNN , Maldonado , a Mormon , said she turned 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 drew widespread media attention and caught the attention of U.S. officials . U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon , R-Arizona , said he had spoken about the case with the U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Mexico 's ambassador in Washington . State Department officials said consular officials met with Maldonado on Wednesday and May 24 . U.S. diplomats did the same things they 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 . CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report .
NEW : Yanira Maldonado calls for those who arrested her to `` repent '' Maldonado 's attorney cites security camera footage as crucial evidence . The video shows the officer pulling up alongside a car and ordering it out of his way before he opens fire on Maldonado. Mexican court determines prosecutors did not provide evidence .