Overview
- William Eastment was arrested in May at Santiago airport after arriving from Mexico with more than five kilos of methamphetamine concealed in a false-bottomed suitcase.
- He told police he was promised a £3.7 million reward to deliver the luggage to Auckland and carried a crude prize certificate as apparent proof.
- Court filings cite a woman called Carolina who allegedly posed as an IMF official, produced travel documents in Mexico, and handed him a locked suitcase she described as containing gifts.
- Eastment remains in Santiago 1 Penitentiary under Chile’s 120‑day pre-charge detention process after an appeals court overturned a brief house-arrest order on flight‑risk grounds.
- Prosecutors have court approval to extract data from his phone and Samsung tablet, a request to extend the investigation window is pending, and legal experts say a sentence closer to five years is typical, with possible reductions for cooperation.