CCTV footage of mystery man could be key to Cocaine Cassie’s case
A CHANNEL Nine film crew has arrived in Bogota for their paid exclusive with Cassie Sainsbury’s family, which cost an “eye watering” figure.
EXCLUSIVE
A FILM crew from Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes has arrived at El Dorado international airport in Bogota for their paid exclusive with the family of Cassie Sainsbury.
Reporter Liam Bartlett was accompanied by a cameraman and sound operator from Nine’s flagship program.
The network has paid what one insider described as an “eye watering” figure for access to Sainsbury’s mother Lisa Evans and sister Khala who are due to arrive in Bogota in coming days after flying out of Adelaide yesterday.
The family had initially asked for $1 million for the access to their exclusive reunion with Sainsbury, who has been locked up in a Bogota jail since her arrest on April 11.
Sainsbury has been charged with attempting to smuggle home to Australia 5.8kg of cocaine in her luggage.
The crew hit an early hurdle on their trip to Colombia, with their United Airlines flight from Houston arriving without several of their bags, including camera gear.
MYSTERY MAN COULD BREAK CASSIE CASE
News Corp Australia today revealed Colombian police seized the only piece of evidence that may prove Sainsbury’s innocence, CCTV footage of mystery man Angelo.
As Sainsbury’s South Australian family finally began their journey to visit her in jail — four weeks after she was arrested and only after signing a lucrative exclusive contract with 60 Minutes — local police appeared to take the first step in investigating her claim she was set up as a drug mule.
Hotelier Ingrid Hernandez confirmed yesterday to News Corp Australia that Bogota police had visited her downtown hotel to view and retrieve footage of the only visitor Sainsbury received in her eight night stay there.
It is a month today since Sainsbury was arrested at El Dorado International Airport with 5.8kg of cocaine in the blue suitcase she had checked in to fly home to Australia.
She has maintained she was tricked by the man she met after arriving in South America’s drugs capital shortly after arriving on April 3.
Sainsbury says she only knew him as Angelo, and that she believed the 18 plastic wrapped packages he handed to her on the day she was to fly home contained cheap headphones rather than drugs.
Colombian narcotics police have not accepted her story and she remains in a Bogota jail awaiting a court date, but it was not until Monday this week that police appeared to investigate her claims and interview Hernandez about the footage.
It comes as Sainsbury issued a direct plea for freedom in her first words from jail. Standing on the balcony of El Buen Pastor’s Patio Five, the 22-year waved her arms through the bars in front of News Corp Australia, asking to be let out of prison.
Her cellmate held a sign with Sainsbury’s message, written in Spanish: “Cassandra Pide Libertad Immediata”.
This translates to “Cassandra asks freedom immediately”.
Her plea comes days ahead of an anticipated visit from her mother and sister, who began their journey out of Adelaide to visit her after signing a contract with 60 Minutes. They initially asked for more than $1-million, and while the final price has not been revealed, a source close to the negotiations described it as “eyewatering”.
Sainsbury has been spending most of her time in her wing — known as “narco patio” because there are so many accused drug smugglers there, rather than attending classes, as some of the other inmates at her prison do.
Sainsbury on Monday shifted to a new cell in the decrepit and overcrowded prison, a move which appears to have improved her outlook considerably.
She was among several women on her floor who laughed and waved at media gathered outside the prison yesterday, waving signs asking to be let out.
Originally published as CCTV footage of mystery man could be key to Cocaine Cassie’s case