'I had no choice': Cassie Sainsbury claims 'she was raped by drug mastermind'
Convicted drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury has claimed she was raped by the man who forced her to smuggle six kilograms of cocaine out of Colombia.
In an emotional interview following her release from Bogota’s El Buen prison, Ms Sainsbury said a drug mastermind she referred to as “Angelo” sexually assaulted her on their first meeting.
"He was saying that I had to be there with him, that I had to do what he wanted, that I didn't have a choice," she revealed to Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes on Sunday night.
"And then he gave me a drink and it was almost like, I felt like I was getting drunk, I was getting tipsy.
"From there, he basically forced my clothes off."
The now 24-year-old, dubbed ‘Cocaine Cassie’ by the Australian media, spent nearly three years behind bars prior to her release on parole due to fears of overcrowding in prisons amid the coronavirus pandemic.
She continues to stress that she was left with no choice but to go ahead with the smuggling attempt, and feared for her family’s safety after she was allegedly told they’d be killed if she failed to comply.
"He had the threat above me saying that if I didn't do what I was asked to do, it was my family," she said.
Cassie says she allowed drug lord ‘Angelo’ to pack her bag before heading to Bogota’s International airport to board a flight to London. She was arrested shortly after walking through immigration. #60Mins pic.twitter.com/72pbO5yra0
— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) April 19, 2020
"I felt like I had to go through with it, because I couldn't make somebody else pay for them, for my mistake."
But just moments after making her way through immigration at Bogota’s international airport in April 2017 and ready to fly to London, she was arrested and found to be in the possession of the large cocaine stash stuffed into boxes of headphones.
"It's not as easy as saying 'it's not mine', this person did it, it's not that easy because they don't believe anybody," she said.
She also named a man called ‘Joshua’ who she says arranged for her to travel to South America for the smuggling attempt in exchange for $10,000 payment.
Ms Sainsbury said she had been working for the man for several months after becoming connected through the Adelaide brothel she worked at.
After eventually agreeing to a plea deal, potential 30-year sentence was reduced to six.
Following her release, she must now stay in Colombia for 27 months to see out her parole, albeit, for now, under similar restrictions she was previously under due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"It's [ironic] but at the same time, it's still freedom.”
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.