'I wanted to collapse': A Canadian grandmother's journey from romance scam victim to unwitting drug mule
CTV
Suzana Thayer's story began as an investigation into a romance scam. Bilked out of more than $200,000, her search for love took her from the world of online dating to Ethiopia to meet the 'man of her dreams' -- and eventually to a Hong Kong prison after cocaine was found hidden inside buttons on clothing in her suitcase.
An Ontario woman who spent nearly nine months in a Hong Kong prison on drug smuggling charges has been unexpectedly released.
Suzana Thayer’s case was dropped shortly after W5's investigation, 'The Cocaine Buttons,' documented her ordeal. Thayer told W5, “I thought I would spend the rest of my life in jail and die there. I'm happy that I can sit here today.”
This is a bewildering tale of love, deception and international intrigue. It landed in my inbox last year when her desperate daughter, Angela, reached out for help. And it was a middle-of-the-night text message from a prison chaplain in Hong Kong that signaled the end of the saga.
The story began as an investigation into a romance scam with a wild twist. Bilked out of more than $200,000 by a scammer, Suzana's search for love took her from the world of online dating to an all-expenses-paid trip to Ethiopia to meet the 'man of her dreams' -- and eventually to a Hong Kong prison cell after customs agents discovered cocaine hidden inside buttons on clothing stuffed into her suitcase.
Suzana has always maintained her innocence. The Barrie, Ont. woman says the clothing was a gift from the man who had paid for her tickets to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The man never showed up but had the “gifts'' delivered to her and then told her he would meet her in Hong Kong instead. When she landed at the Hong Kong airport, customs agents discovered the cocaine.
