60 Minutes has released a preview of its interview with accused cocaine smuggler Cassie Sainsbury, filmed inside Colombia’s El Buen Pastor prison.
The 22-year-old South Australian can be seen discussing her tumultuous case with journo Liam Bartlett, and the clip hints at Sainsbury’s answer to Bartlett’s question “whose idea was it to make a quick dollar out of carrying cocaine?”
NEXT SUNDAY on #60Mins | Cocaine Cassie speaks for the very first time. Why she did it, why her story has changed, and why she has lied. pic.twitter.com/7luLKQjuX5
— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) September 17, 2017
Last month, Sainsbury’s case hit an unexpected obstacle when her plea deal was rejected by a Colombian judge.
Instead of accepting a level of culpability for carrying the 5.8kg of cocaine found stashed in her luggage as she tried to leave the country, Sainsbury said she had been coerced to ferry the drugs by cartel members threatening her family.
That claim was found to constitute new evidence not covered by the original plea deal, which would have seen Sainsbury serve six years behind bars in exchange for providing details of the cartel members.
Now, Sainsbury awaits trial, where she will have to provide evidence of the coercion. If she can, she may face fewer than six years behind bars; if not, she could spend as many as 30 years in jail.
There is currently no date set for her trial, but you can catch the 60 Minutes segment when it airs this Sunday at 8.30pm, over on Channel 9.
