MERIDIAN —
A Meridian woman visiting the tiny country of Macedonia as part of a church medical mission is being detained in jail there after she was accused of attempting to smuggle priceless artifacts out of the country.
According to a FaceBook post by Wayne Whitaker, a member of the Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church in Meridian, Candace Dunlap has been charged with attempted smuggling by law enforcement authorities in Skopje, Macedonia. Whitaker's post states that Dunlap was arrested Friday while she was trying to leave the country to come back
home. Whitaker said Dunlap was stopped while going through customs at the airport in Skopje and questioned about several coins Whitaker said were given to her by a Macedonian citizen as a gift.
"Apparently, Candace was in possession of coins that, unknowing to her, were of certain historical significance," Whitaker said in the post.
Members of the church familiar with the case said they have been advised not to talk. There was no reply to an e-mail sent to officials at the U.S. Embassy in Macedonia.
The news has spread to other churches, with prayer requests for her release posted on their websites.
In a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, Whitaker stated that although there have been many questions about what is happening with Dunlap, he couldn't give out more details because of the sensitive nature of negotiations to get her released.
"We have been in constant contact with the missionary program, senators, congressmen and her husband Marc, who is over there trying to lend his support," Whitaker stated on Facebook. "Candi is in much better spirits and has been provided for both by Marc and representatives of the U.S. Embassy."
Whitaker stressed that giving out too much information at this point could jeopardize the entire process of getting Dunlap released.
"Candi's well-being is more important than our hunger for facts," Whitaker said in the Tuesday post. "Please continue praying and exercising patience."
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