'Peru Two' are jailed for six years and eight months for drug smuggling - but will they now be sent back to UK?
- - Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum were detained in August in Lima
- - Arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine on a flight to Spain
- - Some 24lbs of cocaine worth £1.5m was allegedly found in their luggage
- - The two women from Scotland and Northern Ireland are jailed in Peru
By MARK DUELL
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The 'Peru Two' were today jailed in Lima for six years and eight months for drug smuggling.
Melissa Reid, from near Glasgow, and Michaella McCollum, of Dungannon in Northern Ireland, were detained on August 6 at Lima Airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine on a flight to Spain.
The two women were arrested after 24lbs (11kg) of cocaine worth £1.5million was found in their luggage, according to Peruvian authorities. They were later charged with drug trafficking.
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Sent to prison: Melissa Reid (left) and Michaella McCollum (right, both pictured today) have been jailed in Peru
Sentencing: Reid (right) and McCollum (back) arrive for their court hearing, in Lima, Peru, before being jailed
Cocaine smuggling: McCollum (pictured), of Dungannon in Northern Ireland, was detained at Lima Airport
Security: Some 24lbs of cocaine worth £1.5million was found in Reid's (pictured) and McCollum's luggage
As McCollum entered court she was carrying a book published in 2009 by Barbara De Angelis called 'Secrets About Life Every Woman Should Know: Ten principles for spiritual and emotional fulfilment'.
Prosecutors had earlier said that the pair - who became known as the 'Peru Two' - could have faced up to 18 years in prison.
Because Reid and McCollum have been given a sentence of seven years or less, they are eligible to apply for transfer to Britain - although this must be agreed by both governments.
They will also have to pay a civil fine before release, likely to be several thousand pounds each.
Reading: As McCollum entered court she was carrying a book published in 2009 by Barbara De Angelis called 'Secrets About Life Every Woman Should Know: Ten principles for spiritual and emotional fulfilment'
Courts process: Reid (centre) and McCollum (left) arrive for a hearing with a judge in Callao on September 24
Charges: Connolly (left) and Reid (centre) listen to a translator at an earlier court hearing in Callao in August
The pair have served more than four months in the squalid Virgen de Fatima prison since being arrested in August trying to carry cocaine.
The girls initially claimed they were kidnapped on Ibiza during a summer of partying and forced at gunpoint to traffic the drugs.
Reid and Connolly, both 20, subsequently declared their willingness to plead guilty to smuggling the cocaine in the hope their term would be reduced to six years and eight months.
But as of Saturday, the women’s lawyers had been unable to agree a plea bargain with prosecutors – and the duo faced being handed 15-year sentences.
Questioning: The duo were detained on August 6 at Lima Airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine
Evidence: Food packages allegedly containing cocaine which were found in the luggage of Connolly and Reid
Destination: Because McCollum (left and right) and Reid have been given a sentence of seven years or less, they are eligible to apply for transfer to Britain - although this must be agreed by both governments
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