Eric Aude
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Erik Anthony Aude (born 5 April 1980 in Beverly Hills, California) is a American actor who was arrested and jailed in Pakistan for drug trafficking.
Aude was arrested at the Islamabad, Pakistan airport on February 15, 2002 while trying to leave for Dubai, and was later sentenced to seven years in jail. Aude, who had a role in the film Dude, Where's My Car?, said he had no idea the drugs were in his luggage; he was told he would be carrying leather back to the United States.
A number of stories at the time speculated on the odds of his surviving the full term of his seven year sentence. His life was in constant danger from anti-American factions within Pakistan, who had made at least one attempt on his life while he was in prison [need citation]. Eric spent a little over of two years in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
His release followed an appeal by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson just before Christmas 2004, and apparently followed the confession of a drug smuggler to the original crime, who also confessed to framing Aude. A number of websites were set up to help promote his cause, and to document the struggle to free him.
