Indopedia All Things Marijuana
SYDNEY, Australia — Schapelle Corby left Australia for Bali in 2004 as a beach girl, another Gold Coast surfer who said she was just seeking a vacation and some waves.
On Sunday morning she finally returned home, but as a convicted drug trafficker — and one of Australia’s most well-known, if not favorite, criminals.
A mob of reporters and television cameras greeted her arrival in Brisbane just after 5 a.m. — and less than 24 hours after she created an Instagram account, tens of thousands of followers had already signed up for a glimpse of her new life.
“There’s not very many Australian drug traffickers that you could say are media stars,” said Anthony Lambert, a senior lecturer in cultural studies at Macquarie University. “She’s a celebrity prisoner, which is a relatively new phenomenon.”
“Our Schapelle,” as some Australians call her, has long been seen as more than just a criminal or — as some consider her — a victim. Through the years, Ms. Corby, 39, has reflected Australia’s fears and fascinations with Southeast Asia, and her case has raised issues of gender and social class.
“I think half the population saw themselves in her, saw her in a bad…
