22-year-old Adelaide woman Cassandra Sainsbury is facing up to 25 years in a Colombian prison after nearly six kilograms of cocaine were found stashed in her luggage.
Sainsbury was detained in Bogota on April 11, just before boarding her flight back home. It’s alleged that 5.8 kilograms of the illicit substance were discovered in fifteen sets of headphones she was bringing home as gifts.
She is currently being held at El Buen Pastor prison as she awaits trial, which could be up to two months away. Her family in Australia has set up a fundraising page to assist with legal costs.
A lawyer is asking Sainsbury to consider a guilty plea to dodge the maximum sentence. Writing on the fundraising page, sister Khala Sainsbury said “our hearts break, because we know she is innocent, but stands little chance of proving it in such a corrupt country.”
Khala told The Advertiser that Cassandra had been travelling with someone who told her he could provide the headphones for a discounted price. Sainsbury “got them handed to her Wednesday morning before she left. She just put them straight into her suitcase,” Khala said.
We’ll update this story as it develops.
Source: The Age / The Advertiser.
Photo: Fundrazr.
