Three years ago, a pensioner and her husband traveled to Colombia – lured with the promise of an inheritance. She was sentenced to five years in prison for cocaine trafficking. After two years of house arrest, the woman managed to escape.
In September 2021, a 78-year-old man from St. Gallen received an email from a supposed African lawyer. He informed him that he was entitled to an inheritance in Colombia – travel included. The husband saw the perfect opportunity to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. His then 68-year-old wife hesitated at first, but followed her husband.
On September 18, 2023, the couple landed in Bogotá. After a few days, the local contact informed the couple of a change of plan: they were to travel to Belgrade with a package in their luggage to claim the inheritance. The woman again had reservations, but her husband convinced her anyway.
At Bogotá airport, the police discovered more than three kilograms of pure cocaine in a suitcase. The luggage bore the woman’s name. She was arrested while she was already on the plane.
Imprisoned in the largest women’s prison
The pensioner spent several weeks in Colombia’s largest women’s prison, alongside 1,800 other inmates. Her husband, however, returned to Switzerland innocently. Her mental state soon deteriorated and her lawyers managed to get her placed under house arrest. One exception: under Colombian law, drug offenses are generally punished with imprisonment.
Legend:
The largest women’s prison in Colombia
RTS
“She was suffering from stress, loneliness and fear. So if they had added a harsh prison sentence, it could have led to a psychological breakdown,” said her lawyer Diego Henao Vargas in the program Mise au point on the French-speaking Swiss television station RTS.
The woman spent almost two years in the north of Bogotá, in a studio, paid for by her social security. At a trial in March 2023, the pensioner admitted her guilt, hoping for a reduced sentence and to be able to remain under house arrest. She was sentenced to five years in prison and in August 2023 the verdict was that the woman would have to go back to prison.
A four-day escape
Since the pensioner was able to keep her passport and a credit card, she chose another option: escape. On the night of Sunday, August 27, 2023, the then 68-year-old seized her chance.
From Bogotá she took a domestic flight to Leticia, a city near the border with Brazil. The pensioner left Colombia for Brazil in a tuk-tuk.
Legend:
Tabatinga Airport in Brazil
RTS
Three kilometers as the crow flies later, she reached Tabatinga Airport. From there, she flew to Manaus and São Paulo before traveling on to Paris and Zurich. 5 flights and more than 15,550 kilometers in 4 days.
Back in Gams
Once in Zurich, she returned to Gams, the small village in the canton of St. Gallen where she had lived with her husband for over 30 years. But after two years in exile, she no longer wanted to see him. She rented a room at the Hotel Schäfli in the center of the village, 300 meters from her old apartment. In March 2024, she finally found accommodation and now lives in a neighboring village.
The pensioner is currently free, but her legal difficulties are not over yet. In November last year, however, she was summoned by the St. Gallen public prosecutor’s office, which had opened an investigation. This time, her husband was also heard. The couple faces new proceedings, this time in Switzerland.