Both discharged. McCollum and Reid returned home to Dungannon, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom and Lenzie, Scotland respectively.
Motive
Financial
Conviction(s)
Yes
Criminal charge
Smuggling cocaine
Penalty
6 years, 8 months' imprisonment (served 2 years, 6 months)
The Peru Two are two women from the United Kingdom, Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid, who were arrested on 6 August 2013 on suspicion of drug smuggling at Jorge Chávez International Airport, Lima, Peru, after their luggage was found to contain 12 kg (26 lb) of cocaine.[1]
They had flown from Ibiza, Spain where they were on holiday. McCollum was a native of Dungannon, Northern Ireland while Reid was from Lenzie, Scotland. The two initially claimed they had been coerced by an armed gang but subsequently pleaded guilty. On 17 December 2013, the pair were sentenced to six years and eight months' imprisonment.[2] In the Ancón 2 prison, they took up coveted training positions in beauty therapy in a bid to become hair stylists.[3]
In early 2016, both women sought to return to the United Kingdom. McCollum applied to be freed on parole,[4] and was released on 31 March 2016, with the prospect of having to remain in Peru for up to six years.[5][6] In April, the Peruvian authorities agreed to expel Reid from the country;[7] she was released from prison on 21 June and immediately returned to Britain, arriving at Glasgow airport the following day.[8] McCollum returned to Europe two months later, arriving at Dublin airport in Ireland on 13 August 2016.
The women have received extensive press coverage in Peru, the United Kingdom, Ireland and other countries since their arrest. They were featured on the Channel 4 documentary Brits Behind Bars: Cocaine Smugglers, which aired on 10 October 2015, and detailed how drug mules are trained.[9]
McCollum has written a book about her experiences entitled You'll Never See Daylight Again.[10][11]
In October 2022 the documentary, High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule, based on Michaella McCollum's experiences, became available for streaming on Netflix.
This documentary contains some factual differences and omissions from previous quotes from her book. [12]
In July 2023, ten years after her arrest, McCollum graduated from the University of Ulster with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Business Management, Marketing and Related Support Services.[13]
^"Fresh claims the 'Peru Two' arrest was a diversion for other drug mules". Irish Central. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
^McDonald, Henry (17 December 2013). "British drug mules jailed for more than six years in Peru". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
^"Peru Two Take up Beauty Therapy in the Ancon 2 Prison". Mirror. 7 June 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
^"Peru drug mule Michaelle McCollum could face four-year wait to return home". Mirror. 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
^"Michaella McCollum Connolly released on parole from jail in Peru". Irish Mirror. 1 April 2016. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
^"One Of The 'Peru Two' British Drug Smugglers Has Been Released". MSN. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
^"Peru drugs mule Melissa Reid to return to UK very soon". The Daily Telegraph. 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
^"Drugs mule Melissa Reid released from Peru jail and flying back to UK". BBC News. 22 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
^"Peru Two Featured in New Television Documentary Brits Behind Bars". Mirror. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
^"Michaella McCollum". Extra.ie. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
^McCollum, Michaella (10 June 2021). You'll Never See Daylight Again : my prison journey as one of the infamous Peru Two. London: John Blake Publishing, Limited. ISBN 9781786068804. OCLC 1243504311.
^"High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule Season 1 Review – How not to spend your holiday in Ibiza". The Review Geek. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
^Quadri, Sami (7 July 2023). "'Peru Two' drug mule Michaella McCollum graduates from university". Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
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