'I wanted to collapse': A Canadian grandmother's journey from romance scam victim to unwitting drug mule
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 Thayer arrested in Hong Kong in 2022, on the left, and on the right, buttons filled with cocaine discovered in the Barrie, Ont. woman's suitcase at the airport (W5)
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.
Thayer was arrested and had a hood thrown over her head before being taken to a maximum security women’s prison. She says, “I felt like a murderer. I wanted to collapse. And I think they literally held me up because my legs just turned to jelly. I couldn't believe it.”
Despite W5's repeated requests, authorities in Ethiopia have not attempted to investigate the man who delivered the cocaine-filled clothing.
When W5 first posted “The Cocaine Buttons” online, millions of people viewed it, including department of justice officials in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong lawyer Michael Arthur, who had been assisting Thayer in her plight, told me, “All I can conclude is that they watched your program. It's highly unusual for them to drop a case. But I think it put pressure on them.”
In W5's new one-hour documentary, 'Prisoner 14000' (watch in our video player above), we reveal disturbing new details obtained from one of the interrogation sessions at the airport.
We have obtained videotape of the interrogation video in which Suzana accuses authorities of denying her a lawyer and coercing her into signing documents. (Watch the full interrogation here or in our video player at the top of this article).
Suzana Thayer reunites with her daughter Angela at Toronto's Pearson Airport (W5)
After an emotional reunion with her family at Toronto's Pearson Airport, Suzana Thayer says she's done with online dating, but hasn't given up on the prospect of finding true love, saying 'You don't have anything if you don't have love.'"
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 120 active fires burning across Canada, 76 are 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
BREAKING Apple experiencing iMessage outage, Downdetector shows
Apple users are experiencing an iMessage outage, reporting issues with sending and receiving messages, Downdetector shows.
A Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her. His lawyers argue it wasn't murder
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death southwest of Montreal
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
Kidnapped by her father and kept in a crawl space: Court documents reveal Montreal horror story
A Montreal father who kidnapped his daughter who has autism and lied to police when they asked where she was should serve three years in prison, a Crown prosecutor said.
He had dreams of running for Canada in the Olympics, then he learned his family would be deported
A burgeoning track star says his dream of going to the Olympics is being derailed by a deportation order after Immigration officials rejected his family’s claim for asylum
Local Spotlight
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
'It could mean a cure': Cautious optimism for groundbreaking ALS research at Western
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
B.C. musician's song catches attention of Canucks
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
'We're on standby': Team ready to help entangled right whale in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Thieves caught on camera stealing pet chicken from North Vancouver backyard
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
Chris Hadfield inspires youth musical in Sudbury
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.