A young South African woman sentenced for life in a Thai prison has finally gotten to speak to her mother after nearly 3 months of being quarantined. 23 year old Ashley Oosthuizen was sentenced after she allegedly accepted a package of MDMA at the Koh Samui restaurant Hot in the Biscuit in late-2020.
Ashley had worked as a kindegarden teacher on Koh Samui, and was known as a friendly face on the island. She was later laid off, and it was difficult to find a full-time job offering a work permit. She met her then boyfriend, American expat Tristan Nettles, when he offered her a job as a manager at a new breakfast and brunch restaurant, which would secure her with a valid work permit.
Tristan is a self-confessed “international dark web drug dealer”, who used Bitcoin to make the sales and importing drugs to a school’s main office. In 2020, Ashley allegedly signed for a package containing 250 grams of MDMA, an ingredient in ecstasy, according to a GoFundMe account.
Earlier this year, calls for Ashley’s release were renewed and several South African media outlets reported on the case after Tristan made a website outlining what he says are details on the drug operation. He claims that Ashley was not involved.
Ashley is currently in a prison in the Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison, in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. On Friday, Ashley reportedly got to speak to her mother for the first time since February. All inmates have reportedly been quarantined after a few people were infected with Covid-19. Ashley’s mother, Lynn Blignaut, said Ashley is kept in a cell with 67 other women all sharing one bathroom. Lynn told the media outlet George Herald…
“By the grace of God, our daughter was not affected at all and is still in good health and high spirits. We are able to speak with her once a month, for 10 minutes.”
George Herald reports that Tristan claims he is currently voluntarily fighting in Ukraine against Russia to put the spotlight on Ashley.
SOURCE: George Herald