Australian grandmother Veronica Watson caught in Brazil smuggling drugs acquitted of all charges
The Australian grandmother caught in Brazil smuggling drugs has been acquitted of all charges.
Veronica Watson, 59, was arrested in December 2024 with 1.5 kilograms of cocaine in her luggage, leaving Sao Paulo Airport.
The grandmother of nine has always maintained she was scammed by a man posing as a love interest.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I am so happy and relieved that they actually listened to me and listened to my story,” Veronica told 7NEWS. “I felt all along that I was telling the truth.”
It follows a 7NEWS investigation that uncovered text messages exchanged between Veronica and the fake love interest known online as Norman Leach. At no point during the two year online courtship were drugs mentioned.
“After the detailed reconstruction of the facts, the prosecutor was convinced she could not have had knowledge that there were drugs inside the bag that she was given to carry,” Watson’s lawyer Pedro Mendonca says.
Veronica believed she was transporting documents for the man known to her as Norman Leach.
You can follow Veronica’s story in a special edition of Spotlight, on 7 and 7+ on May 25th.
Originally published on 7NEWS
