Friendless and jobless: ‘Cocaine Cassie’ shares her struggles to adjust to life at home after three years in a Colombian prison: ‘I’ve been trying to get my life on track’
- ‘Cocaine Cassie’ reveals post-prison struggles
- She was caught smuggling cocaine in 2017
Convicted drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury, aka ‘Cocaine Cassie’, has revealed that her friends have abandoned her since returning to Australia.
Sainsbury, 28, was caught trying to smuggle 5.8kg of cocaine from Columbia hidden in headphones in April 2017 and was jailed for three years.
She returned to her hometown of Adelaide for the first time in five years in August, taking her new wife Tatiana with her.
The couple got married a year ago after meeting in a Colombian nightclub.
Sainsbury said she has been trying to get her “life on track” but is facing some challenges.
In April 2017, Sainsbury was caught trying to smuggle 5.8 kg of cocaine from Columbia hidden in headphones
Sainsbury with wife Tatiana, whom she married last March after meeting in a Colombian nightclub in 2021
“Trying to get a job and get ahead. I am often told that I am a murderer, that I am rather underhanded and cold and unrepentant,” she told the Advertiser.
“People can’t show emotions because that’s a sign of weakness, so I buried the sadness and I felt like I was getting to a point where it was going to explode. I’m not such a mean person.’
Sainsbury was sentenced to six years behind bars, but was released from El Buen Pastor Women’s Prison after three years.
The prison in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is notorious for its harsh conditions and overcrowding.
Strict conditions for her release forced her to remain in the country for another 27 months.
It was at this time, in 2021, that she met Tatiana, which Sainsbury had previously described as completely unexpected.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, it wasn’t an easy time to find work and a lot of stress comes from moving to another country,” she said.
Sainsbury said she unfortunately has no friends in Australia and her family was in “bits and pieces”.
“What bothered me was friends writing letters supporting me and then posting nonsense about me on social media. It is what it is,” she said.
Sainsbury said she is proud of herself for getting through her troubled past
Sainsbury (pictured) spent three and six years in El Buen Pastor women’s prison, notorious for harsh conditions and overcrowding
But Sainsbury also said she’s proud of herself for getting through her darkest moments.
Outrage recently erupted over the Sainsbury cast in the new season of Channel Seven reality show SAS Australia, which airs later this year.
She stars alongside Craig McLachlan and boxing champion Anthony Mundine, as well as Olympians Stephanie Rice, Peter Bol and Matthew Mitcham, and Balinese princess Lindy Klim.
For the first time in the series, the contestants travel offshore to a secret base in the Middle East.
They will eat, sleep and train together in punishingly hot and dry conditions, regardless of their celebrity status or gender.
Sainsbury will reportedly be paid nearly a six-figure sum for her appearance on the show.