She was subsequently sentenced to life in prison [citation needed], but was pardoned after four years and six months at the request of Congressman Bill Richardson.
After a few months, they were becoming low on funds when McCord's roommate returned from a trip to Europe, claiming to have made $10,000 (USD) by smuggling diamonds.
After two weeks, the last five days of which were spent at a five-star resort in Dhaka, unsure of when she would receive the drugs, McCord became impatient as her vacation visa was about to expire.
According to McCord, as she was attempting to flee at the last minute, she was caught in the resort's lobby by the supplier, who then forced her into a cab and duct-taped 7 lbs of heroin to her body (per National Geographic's Locked Up Abroad – Bangladesh docudrama).
McCord reported being told that the court asked the Americans if they could sentence her to hang as a sign of solidarity with the US Government's War on Drugs.
[citation needed] McCord was told that the court was advised that the Americans would accept no harsher sentence for their citizen than what had historically been handed down to one of their own women for a similar case.
Due to significant efforts by US Embassy consulate officers, the pardon was processed in record time[citation needed] and she returned home in Richardson's custody on July 30, 1996.
In an interview at the airport in Dhaka, McCord spoke in Bengali and expressed affection for the people of Bangladesh, as well as a desire to return one day and show the gracious government what she has done with the second chance they gave her.