The family of Ashley Oosthuizen, who is facing life imprisonment in Thailand for alleged international drug trafficking, has warned the public against donating to crowdfunding sites created claiming to assist with her release.
The 22-year-old from Western Cape had moved to Thailand in 2018 to do a Teaching course on the island of Koh Samui after matriculating in 2017.
It is there that she is said to have met 35- year-old American teacher, Tris Nepps, who soon became her boyfriend. When Ashley was laid off during the pandemic, Nepps who is alleged to be smuggling drugs on the island, had apparently offered her employment at his restaurant.
Ashley was reportedly arrested on October 8, 2020 by Thailand police after accepting a package addressed to a person called Dave van Rensburg containing MDMA (ecstasy) while working at the restaurant.
She had apparently signed the package, not knowing it contained the narcotic MDMA, and she was immediately detained and handed a death sentence which was later reduced to life imprisonment on August 18, 2021, for international drug trafficking.
Her mother, Lynn Blignaut, said the public is asked to donate, if they wish to do so, only to Ashley’s Trust fund which she will soon set up, and not to donate to any other crowdfunding platform under any circumstances.
Magdalena Vawter , a friend of Ashley, wrote on Facebook “This story is absolutely heartbreaking. We have now turned to social media to make her story international news. This is the only way we can bring justice so those in charge will be forced to no longer turn their backs,” the post read.
