Aussie grandmother acquitted of drug smuggling in Brazil after falling for online romance scam
An Aussie grandmother is free to return home after being acquitted of drug smuggling charges in Brazil.
Grandmother of 9, Verionca Watson, was arrested trying to leave Sao Paulo on December 1 last year when close to 1.5kg of cocaine was found in her hand luggage. She has always maintained that she was the victim of an online romance scam and now, a Brazilian judge has agreed.
Sunshine Coast resident Ms Watson, 59, began an online friendship with a man known to her as Norman Leach, two years ago. The relationship later turned romantic and she was persuaded to fly to Brazil to meet him late last year.
'He introduced himself as an ex-army officer who was on his own suffering PTSD and so I thought I'd be a nice person and give him someone to talk to,' she told Seven News.
While there, Ms Watson signed documents she believed were part of a lucrative investment deal and was convinced to take them to Sri Lanka as he could not go there himself.
Hours before her flight was due to depart, Ms Watson was given a small suitcase with the documents inside. Within a hidden compartment custom officials found 1483g of cocaine. Ms Watson said she did look inside the bag prior to being stopped but didn't see anything suspicious.
A Brazilian judge deemed Ms Watson was not guilty of drug smuggling and had been led along as part of an online romance scam.
The prosecutors also recommended she be acquitted with the evidence suggesting that she did not have knowledge that drugs were within the bag.
'I am so happy and relieved that they actually listened to me and listened to my story,' she said.
Ms Watson had already been released from Sao Paulo's Santana Women's Penitentiary on bail, but is now able to return to Australia.
Ms Watson's husband of 16 years Stephen, had been sceptical when his wife informed him of her plan to travel to Brazil. She had never previously left Australia and told him some friends had offered to pay for her trip if she would sign some investment documents for them as she was 'the only one they trusted'.
'I said, 'how come they can't send you the paperwork here or get someone else?' And she said, 'sorry, they trust me',' he told Seven News last year.
'And I said, 'how do you know these people?' And then she goes, 'I've known her for a while. I met him online'. I said, 'but you don't know him personally. You just met him'. You don't know what they are.'
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