@NutjobBob We're all to scared of you iwarriiori!
Here is cross-section of the trap

The sand is actually an entity hovering above the fences. This means that when you try to break a block you just hit the sand instead. You cant place any blocks because the entity is in the way. Ender pearls hit the sand sand entity and teleport you nowhere (I think). You cant jump out because of the slabs above.
It is actually possible possible to mine your way out if you stand on the very edge of a block, and face in one of the cardinal directions. However this is really difficult to do and will be impossible when taking damage ticks.
After much testing, I have come up with a recommendation for you and a conclusion.
First, you are right about ender pearls only teleporting you where you are, EXCEPT if they are aimed straight up and thrown. This lets them go through the slab roof. This can be fixed by adding another layer of blocks on the ceiling (corners too!).
As for the conclusion, this trap is inescapable assuming:
- You remove space for chorus fruit teleportation and
- The player cannot survive long enough to mine the wall and
- The player cannot survive suffocation long enough to escape through the ceiling.
So just clog the whole place with obsidian and you should be good! (Actually not that hard tbh.)