Sainsbury's last moments of freedom revealed on airport cameras
CCTV from inside a Colombian airport shows the moment it all goes wrong for Adelaide accused drug mule Cassandra Sainsbury.
The footage, obtained by local TV news station Noticias RCN, shows the 22-year-old being stopped by immigration officers as she attempted to take her flight home to Australia via London.
Time-stamped 8.44pm on April 12, the young woman is caught on camera being intercepted by an airport officer as she hands over her passport while trying to return home.
His computer provides an internal red flag indicating the passenger's ticket was purchased only a few hours beforehand, drawing attention of local authorities.
She is escorted to an airport supervisor who checks the passport, then calls airport police when the Aussie tells them she does not understand what is happening and requests more information in English.
A bodycam scans Ms Sainsbury for drugs, and when it comes back negative they take her to the immigration room to inspect her luggage.
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She was allegedly found trying to return to Australia with 5.8 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a series of headphones that she claimed were presents for an upcoming bridal party, and arrested.
The young woman told her Colombian lawyer she was tricked and believed she was given the 18 pre-packed headphones by a man she knew only as Angelo or Tom.
Since her April 12 arrest, Ms Sainsbury has remained in a Bogota prison.
Ms Sainsbury's Australian lawyer Stephen Kenny is exploring the "full details of why she went to Colombia, how she got there and who paid for her ticket."
Her lawyers suggest she may need to plead guilty in order to get home to Australia without risking decades in a South American prison.
