BRITS Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid became synonymous with the moniker 'The Peru Two' when they made headlines around the world for drug smuggling.
BBC One's High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule looks back on the drug trafficking case in a five-part true-crime docuseries about the pair…
Who are Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid?
Michaella McCollum was born in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, and Melissa Reid hails from Glasgow.
In 2013, McCollum was working as a part-time model and a nightclub hostess in Ibiza while Reid was a sales assistant back in Scotland.
Why were they arrested?
The pair were both 20 years old when they were arrested in August 2013 in Lima Airport.
They travelled to Peru on August 15 and were caught trying to leave the country with 11kg cocaine worth £1.5 million at Lima Airport just two days later.
They were caught by customs officers carrying the Class A drug ahead of a long-haul flight to Madrid, Spain.
How much cocaine were they trying to smuggle?
The pair had cut the drugs with bicarbonate of soda and starch, and concealed them inside porridge and jelly packets to mask the smell.
It was later reported they were paid just £4,000 each to smuggle the drug.
How long did they serve in prison?
They faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a behind-closed-doors plea bargain to secure the shorter sentence.
When they appeared in court they pleaded guilty to drug smuggling and in December 2013 were sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.
They were held at the notorious Virgen de Fatima prison in Lima but were moved to Ancon 2 prison where they took up coveted positions training in beauty therapy in a bid to become hair stylists.
Some reports claimed the girls were held in cells with 30 other prisoners.
What did they say after their arrest?
The girls at first claimed they had been forced to carry the drugs by an armed gang.
However, following her release Melissa admitted she knew what she was doing.
She confessed: "I made a conscious decision to do it and no one forced me."
Michaella also opened up, saying she was "stupid" to get seduced into making just £5,000 and thought Peru was a Spanish town.
In her book, she writes: "Was I guilty? Yes. Did I know what I was doing? Sort of. Was I hung out to dry by a bunch of gangsters and the Peruvian justice system? Absolutely.
"So why did I do it? Why did I jeopardise everything and bring untold heartache to my adored family for a few easy quid?"
When did they return home?
In early 2016, both women made attempts to return to the UK.
McCollum applied to be freed on parole and was released on 31 March 2016, with the prospect of having to remain in Peru for up to six years.
In April, the Peruvian authorities agreed to expel Reid from the country and she was released from prison on 21 June and immediately returned home to Scotland.
McCollum returned home two months later, arriving at Dublin airport on 13 August 2016.
What actually happened?
Michaella said she began working as a waitress in Ibiza in 2013 serving up cocaine and ecstasy alongside gin and tonics on the notorious party island.
It was then she met a Cockney dealer called Davey, who asked her if she wanted to do a "run" for him – getting drugs from Spain and bringing them back to Ibiza.
Michaella said the cash offered played on her mind because she wanted more than the wages she was on working in a bar.
So when he asked her again if she would travel to Barcelona to pick up drugs, Michaella agreed.
In August 2013, she met a Colombian associate of Davey's called Mateo, who told her she was instead now heading to Peru.
Michaella first flew to Majorca, where she met her fellow drug mule – 20-year-old Melissa Reid from Lenzie in Scotland.
She was told she would catch up with Melissa a day later in Lima and the pair would visit tourist hotspots such as Machu Picchu as a cover.
Two days into the trip in Peru, Melissa received a phonecall and was instructed to take a large bag outside to meet the dealer.
But she was forced to take another bag to fit in the haul of cocaine, which was hidden in 31 sachets of porridge oats.
The pair divided the packets to carry in their suitcases.
The girls woke at 6am the next day and travelled to Lima airport.
But the gig was up when a plain-clothes police officer searched their bags.
What are they doing now?
Michaella is now aged 26 and is a mother to twins who were born last year.
She is not with the father of the two boys – but has said she knew she could raise her sons by herself.
She said: "It's nothing something I planned, it's not how I envisioned things.
"They are my children and I love them."
She released a book You’ll Never See Daylight Again and wasoffered a whopping £250,000 for the tell all book.
She will appear in the new BBC docuseries to tell her side of the story.
Michaella confirmed on Lorraine that she is "still in touch" with Melissa.
Melissa has since retreated from the limelight.
Source: Read Full Article
