One of the two girls arrested in Peru under the suspicion of attempting to smuggle 11kg of cocaine has been recorded on video saying she was “forced” to carry the drugs in her luggage.
Michaella McCollum-Connolly, 20, from Dungannon, Co Tyrone and Melissa Reid, 19, from Lenzie, near Glasgow remain in police custody today after being arrested in Lima's Jorge Chavez International Airport last Tuesday.
The pair reportedly had 11kg of cocaine said to be worth £1.5m (€1.7m) in their bags as they attempted to board an Air Europa flight to Madrid.
Video footage of the pair has been released online, which shows Reid telling police officers that she was “forced” to take the drugs in her luggage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK_KO-zGwzQ
According to Peruvian police, Reid was carrying 5.78kg of cocaine, while McCollum-Connolly had 5.81kg of the drug in her bags.
McCollum-Connolly is now being held in the Santa Monica women's prison after being arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle the cocaine out of the South American country. She can be held for up to 15 days in the prison while police investigate the case.
