Update: Cassie Sainsbury gives world-exclusive interview to News Corp
News Corp is the first media outlet to speak with accused drug smuggler, Cassie Sainsbury.
Speaking from her cell in El Buen Pastor prison, Cassie hints at bullying in the notoriously over-crowded jail:
“There’s a lot of chaos here. … quite a few of the inmates here are very pushy with me,” Cassie begins. “They push past me. They start abusing me in Spanish because they know I don’t understand it and I haven’t actually done anything wrong.”
The full interview will appear via News Corp publications tomorrow.
Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes has reportedly paid a lucrative amount for a tell-all exclusive with Cassie’s mother and sister and her fiancé, Scott Broadbridge has reportedly struck a separate deal with Channel 7,
He is due to fly into Bogota today.
Earlier:
Cassie Sainbury’s mother Lisa Evans and sister Khala have touched down in Colombia ahead of visiting Cassie in El Buen Pastor prison.
It’s been over a month since Cassie was arrested on 11 April as she tried to board a flight back to Australia from El Dorado International Airport in Colombia when authorities found almost 6 kilograms of cocaine in her suitcase.
News Corp reports Cassie has been upset that no one but her local lawyer Orlando Herran and Australian consular officials have visited her thus far.
However: “Every day she is accepting a little bit more the reality she’s facing.”
Her mother and sister were accompanied by a crew from Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes, which has reportedly paid a lucrative amount for a tell-all exclusive with the accused drug smuggler and her family.
CCTV footage could help Cassie’s case
As we all know, Cassie was arrested on 11 April as she tried to board a flight back to Australia from El Dorado International Airport in Colombia after authorities found almost 6 kilograms of cocaine in her suitcase – they’d reportedly received a tip-off from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in the US.
She’s been in the notoriously over-crowded El Buen Pastor Prison ever since.
However Cassie has maintained her innocence since her arrest, claiming a man tricked her into believing the 18 plastic wrapped packages of cocaine were actually cheap headphones, which she then packed into her case.
The 18 bags of cocaine found in Cassie’s luggage. Image via 7 News.
Now Bogota police officers have seized CCTV footage from the downtown hotel where she stayed which shows a mystery man, known as Angelo.
Cassie says he’s the man who fooled her into believing the cocaine was headphones.
The manager of the hotel where Cassie spent her final night of freedom previously said she rarely left her room.
Ingrid Hernandez said the Australian-native drew attention from hotel staff as she arrived without a reservation and paid for her accommodation only two days at a time, reports Daily Telegraph.
“She was alone most of the time in her room. I remember once she went and brought McDonalds back to eat,” she said.
Ms Hernandez also described Angelo, the man who is accused of tricking Cassie into packing 5.8kgs of cocaine into her suitcase.
“Normal height, normal build. He could have been in his late 20s, 30s. He had short brown gelled hair,” she said.
She added that the well-dressed Columbian male was Cassie’s only visitor at the $50 a night lodging.
Cassie’s mug shot (L) and Cassie pictured at the prison gates (R).
Cassie’s family have also reportedly negotiated a TV deal with 60 Minutes, for which they’ll receive an “eye-watering” sum, rumoured to be around $1million.
They’re currently on their way to Colombia to see Cassie in prison.
