As her mother and sister arrived in Colombia and tried to arrange a prison visit, accused drug smuggler Cassandra Sainsbury has revealed fears for her safety in Bogota’s infamous El Buen Pastor women’s jail.
Threats to her safety are “not far away”, the 22-year-old Adelaide woman told News Corp in her first interview since being arrested one month ago as she attempted to fly out of Colombia while allegedly carrying 5.8kg of cocaine in her luggage.
“There’s a lot of chaos here … quite a few of the inmates here are very pushy with me,” she said.
“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.”
Bogota correspondents from Nine Network and Channel 7 reported the Sainsburys — mum Lisa Evans and sister Khala Sainsbury — landed late Thursday morning local time (AEST 2.30am Friday).
The pair refused to respond to reporters’ questions when approached at the airport.
The Sainsburys have signed a lucrative deal with Nine’s 60 Minutes current affairs programme in exchange for exclusive, sit-down interviews.
It is understood Nine paid for the family’s flight to Colombia.
Crew members, including journalist 60 Minutes Liam Bartlett, were sighted about an hour prior to the Sainsburys’ arrival at El Dorado International Airport, according to News Corp.
But 60 Minutes’ bags containing camera gear reportedly went missing.
The family of accused Australian drug mule Cassandra Sainsbury have arrived in Bogota, Colombia. #9News pic.twitter.com/pZHKbSQbbS
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) May 11, 2017
Absent was fiance Scott Broadbridge who has said he hopes to fly to Colombia soon.
Lawyer Stephen Kenny, hired by Mr Broadbridge, told News Corp that, unlike the family, he had not signed a deal with Channel Nine.
Since Ms Sainsbury’s arrest, her only visitors have been her lawyer, Orlando Herran, and Australian consular officials.
It is not yet known whether her mother and sister will be permitted to visit the accused in prison.
Ms Sainsbury was intercepted by authorities and arrested at El Dorado International Airport, where she was allegedly carrying 5.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside 18 headphone boxes in her suitcase.
