Cassie Sainsbury, also known as “Cocaine,” was inspired by a Gumtree ad that read, “Ladies, we want you,” to work in a brothel and start a career in drug trafficking, which landed her a six-year prison sentence in Colombia.
In April 2017, Sainsbury was detained at the Colombian airport of Bogota as she boarded a flight to London carrying 5.8kg of cocaine concealed in 18 headphone boxes inside her suitcase.
Before being released on parole in 2020 and making her long-awaited return to Australia in recent weeks, the then-22-year-old was imprisoned in one of the harshest prisons for women in Colombia, where she attempted suicide during her time there.
Sainsbury found a job posting for a “gentleman’s club” in Sydney on Gumtree after her personal training business failed.
She told 7 News Spotlight, “I didn’t realise it was actually a brothel because it said “gentleman’s club” and I imagined a bar.”
Sainsbury acknowledges that being hired as an escort instead after being told she wasn’t “reception material” was one of the worst things she had ever gone through.
She claims that a brothel madam who noticed Sainsbury didn’t enjoy “entertaining” customers introduced her to the world of organised crime.
She claimed that she was a little sympathetic because she was aware that some people enjoy doing it while others do not.
She stated her buddy was often seeking for someone to make deliveries into Sydney and that he was laid-back, a wonderful friend, dependable, and trustworthy.
“I felt like she was really trying to help me,” she said.
Sainsbury claimed that part of her duties included travelling around Sydney and delivering “documents” to prominent businesses in the CBD.
She claimed, however, that she had no idea that she was actually delivering cocaine, adding, “I was very naive.”
The receptionist would take the package off of me and place it in a pigeonhole when I arrived at the building (to make a delivery).
She claimed that she was delivering the papers to reputable establishments in the Sydney area, including an orthodontist.
Sainsbury stated that she would work anywhere from two to fifteen jobs a week and earn between $100 and $150 per delivery.
The essential term was confidential, she claimed.
Sainsbury’s life, however, took a tragic turn when she was instructed to go to London with another employee to pick up some paperwork.
Sainsbury responded, “We were told London, not Colombia.”
Before being detained in Colombia, Sainsbury said that she had accidentally distributed cocaine around Sydney in shipments she mistook for “papers” (pictured, Sainsbury on her way to court in July, 2017)
Sincerely, I was such a fool that I didn’t see it until I looked back. I really believed that I would be able to recover papers.
When she boarded her aircraft and saw she was going to Bogota, Colombia, rather than London, she initially realised something wasn’t right.
Sainsbury said that he had to Google up Bogota since he was unsure of its location.
Everything was alright, it was just a tiny snag, and I should follow instructions, I was assured.
She felt as if the trip was going badly, and she knew she had to go, but she wasn’t sure how.
She said, “I didn’t know how to go home.”
I had been warned that something would happen to me if I didn’t follow through because I was being followed.
Threats alone, however, were unable to keep Sainsbury in place. She went to a travel agency to get the cheapest airfare home since she was determined to get away.
She claimed that “one of the drug ring members” was present when she left.
I’ve never been a huge drinker, so when he brought me to his place and handed me some water, I lost control of my body after drinking it.
Sainsbury said that during her stay in Colombia, she was drugged, sexually assaulted, and imprisoned.
She said that the fact that she was aware of what was happening yet unable to intervene made things worse.
I was afraid because “I wasn’t left alone.”
She alleges that the person who sexually assaulted her also packed her luggage for the travel to London.
I was aware of what was within, but I had no other options.
Sainsbury spoke of passing through airport security, feeling relieved after checking her luggage, and then experiencing terror when hearing her name announced over the loudspeakers at the departure gates.
Four police officers, according to her, met her and led her into a room with 18 headphones cases spread out on a table.
She at first felt relieved, believing there was a possibility that she was merely smuggling equipment.
She remarked, “Stupid me didn’t imagine there were rolls of cocaine in the packs of headphones.”
She informed the Australian Federal Police about the link between the Sydney brothel and the cocaine cartel, but they chose not to look into it.
Both Sainsbury’s submission and the absence of a follow-up inquiry were verified by the AFP to Seven.
Sainsbury received a six-year prison term when he was just 22 years old.
She claims that her experience in prison will influence her forever.
She said, “I saw people die. It was horrible.” I saw individuals being stabbed and hanging themselves.
Sainsbury eventually tried to commit himself by leaping from the fourth floor of the jail after feeling “helpless” there for a while.
She was ready to fall down when another prisoner grabbed her and ordered her to keep going.
Sainsbury claimed, “When I went to take the step off, I felt someone pull me back.”
She reprimanded me. To put it simply, she added, “There is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Fortunately, Sainsbury survived her time in jail, and following her release, she was able to meet Tatiana, the love of her life.
We had a common group of friends, and when we went out for a birthday one night, she remarked, “We literally hit it off.”
Sainsbury claimed that Tatiana was understanding of her criminal history when the two started dating in the middle of last year.
She said, “I told her everything about everything.”
Tatiana basically stated that she wouldn’t judge me based on my background, and that she thought the entire thing was incredibly mature.
“I feel happier than I’ve ever been,” you say. It’s good to know that someone is always there for me and that I can be myself without fear of judgement.
The couple wed in a lavish wedding on a private island in Colombia in March of this year.
While her boyfriend wore a sharp-looking suit and pink bow tie, Ms. Sainsbury shined in a beautiful bridal gown.
The adorable photos capture the infatuated pair enjoying the memorable evening.
Sainsbury wrote in a last message that she is no longer terrified and that she won’t let herself be taken advantage of once again.
“I’m not afraid. It was her realisation that she couldn’t be afraid after going through what she had.
I’ve learned how to advocate for myself, so I can do it.
“I’m not the terrified little person I was six years ago,” the speaker says.
Please dial one of these numbers if you or someone you know needs assistance: Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 224 636, or 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)