Cassie Sainsbury has broken her silence about her arrest in Colombia on drug charges, claiming to have evidence on her mobile phone that proves she is innocent.
In an exclusive interview with 60 Minutes, 22-year-old Sainsbury claimed she had received death threats against her family if she did not transport drugs out of Columbia.
“I was told my family and partner would be killed,” she told reporter Liam Bartlett.
Sainsbury explained a man named “Angelo” — who reportedly packed her suitcase — sent her threatening photographs of her family through Whatsapp. However, the Australian cannot remember the password to unlock her phone and retrieve the evidence.
“If I knew the password — and I’ve told my lawyer — I’d give it,” she said. “But that’s all it is. If I can’t remember I’ve got nothing to give them.”
The South Australian has spent the past five months at El Buen Pastor women’s prison after she was found with 5.8 kilograms of cocaine in her suitcase at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport.
Sainsbury told 60 Minutes that she was initially led to believe she would be carrying documents, rather than drugs from Columbia, for the price of $10,000.
She claimed she met Angelo in Bogota, who then told her she would be carrying drugs.
“I started saying, ‘I don’t want any part of this’ because I didn’t come here to do anything illegal, I didn’t come here to risk my life,” she said.
According to The Australian, Sainsbury faces a minimum of 21 years in prison. She will face court on Tuesday.
