Aussie takes cocaine deal
Sainsbury agrees to six-year maximum
ACCUSED drug smuggler Cassandra Sainsbury could be home within two to three years after her lawyers and Colombian prosecutors struck a new plea deal.
Sainsbury, 22, was facing the prospect of up to 30 years in jail but will now serve a maximum of six years and pay a nominal fine.
If she works or takes courses within Bogota’s El Buen Pastor women’s prison and is of good behaviour, she could be released within two to three years.
Sainsbury’s sister says the new plea bargain, which was granted in-principle yesterday by a judge in Colombia’s special drugs court, is “the best outcome” the family could have hoped for.
Khala Sainsbury, who stayed behind in Adelaide and learnt about her sister’s fate online, told the Sunday Territorian she did not believe there would be another plea bargain.
“It was the best outcome we could’ve hoped for, considering what could’ve happened,” Ms Sainsbury said.
“It’s great my sister could be home in a couple of years. It’s definitely better than the 21 to 30 years she faced.”
Ms Sainsbury said she was yet to speak to her mum or hear how Cassie was feeling after the news, because of the time difference to Colombia.
“I assume (Cassie) would be rapt, and with time served already, she could be home in a few years.
“It’s the best outcome we could’ve hoped for apart from her getting off,” she said.
Sainsbury has been in custody since she was arrested on April 12 with almost 6kg of cocaine packed into a green suitcase as she tried to fly out of El Dorado International Airport to London.
Sainsbury initially said she thought the 18 packages wrapped in black plastic were headphones she received on a good deal as presents for guests at her upcoming wedding to Scott Broadbridge.
But her story changed several times, embroiling a fictional cleaning business owned by an uncle and documents she said she was being paid thousands of dollars to carry around the world.
The deal was presented to a closed court with no media allowed to observe proceedings at the request of Sainsbury’s lawyer Orlando Herran.
“Mr Herran requested a closed court for the safety of the accused,” a court spokesman said.
A courtroom source said this was because Sainsbury had agreed to divulge details of the drug syndicate she said had ensnared her.
However, in the end she was not required to give any of this evidence, the source said.
Each day an inmate works or studies in Bogota’s jails takes a day off their sentence in an effort to ease overcrowding.