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http://youtu.be/prS4_pJUMC8
(YouTube: Kick Screameer)
A POLICE VIDEO of a British and Irish woman being interviewed in the direct aftermath of the Lima airport drugs haul has emerged this morning.
The footage shows 20-year-old Belfast resident Michaella McCollum Connolly with Scottish teenager Melissa Reid as they are being questioned about 11kg of cocaine that was found in their luggage.
The pair were trying to board a flight to Madrid when they were detained a week ago. The National Police of Peru claim they found 11 kilos 590 grams of cocaine alkaloid hidden in food products packed in the baggage at Jorge Chavez airport.
Officers say they discovered 18 packets of edible products alkaloid cocaine weighing 5.780kg in Reid’s bags and 16 envelopes containing edible products of cocaine alkaloid GVWR weighing 5.810kg in Connolly’s bags.
In the video, Reid can be heard telling interviewing police that she was forced to take the bags with her, claiming she did not know there were drugs in them.
Reid and Connolly were both holidaying in Ibiza before they were found in Peru. The Connolly family had launched a social media campaign to find Michaella after she failed to contact home for nine days.
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If you cant do the time, don’t do the crime…. Not much sympathy for them, however it must be tough for their families.
Go missing and reappear in Peru.. dont tell anyone your going there
Extremely suspect, hope they weren’t foolish enough to think it was easy money
They’re only getting all this attention because they are female. If it was a couple of blokes it may have gotten a brief mention somewhere in national media and then forgotten about double quick. People falling over themselves to help them because women are always innocent and men always guilty.
Not true Niall.
This sort of thing happens all the time. Male and female, and we never hear about it. The only reason this is getting attention is that there was a pretty high profile missing persons campaign for one of the girls ongoing when this was found out.
C’mon Hipster – The Archbishop turned up to visit them in jail in a staunchly Catholic country where his title alone would carry enormous clout and influence. Much like Ireland in the 50′s. Every national newspaper is running front page with this story today. International media too – the Guardian has it front page also. It’s because of their gender and no other reason.
Why would anyone take a bag onto a plane if they did not know what was in it ?
Worst case scenario it could have been a bomb !
As Forrest Gump said…stupid is as stupid does.
Here we go “From Ibiza to Peru: How gangs turn innocent young girls into drug mules”. That’s the headline in the mirror.
No doubt they’re already getting preferential treatment in Peru as a result of the media attention. Sweet little misunderstood innocent victims that they are {Judging on some articles online}. Young girls = innocent victims. Young men = leave them rot in jail and forget about them.
Likely the won’t be charged at all. They’ll be home in a few weeks selling their stories to the UK tabloids and signing contracts with PR agencies.
She can’t be taking it too seriously if she is wearing Mickey Mouse ears!
Banged up in Peru. 2 girls in this too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xX-KClsnIs
“Likely the won’t be charged at all.”
That might be the case if they had a tiny amount, but not when they were caught with nearly 12 kg’s in their bags and especially with the value of it.
Jesus Niall? Cynical much.
The fact is, we don’t have the facts. Do you wanna relax there before you hang them completely.
It’s being reported online that one has already confessed to knowingly smuggling. Could be bollox though. Find out soon enough I suppose.
You’re right Abbi, I’m being OTT. The 2 million quids worth of coke in their bags was for personal use. One of the downsides to having big noses no doubt.
I hate to say it but you’re right. There is a serious double standard in cases like these. It’s also easier for them to say they were forced. The media campaign to find the girls gave the whole thing that much more attention, but that doesn’t change reality. These girls may be young but they are adults. They know right from wrong. They need to take responsibility for themselves.
They got lucky, a lot of ppl, serve their whole life in prisons without any parole… Lets hope these 2 girls have a good lawyer/solicitor to get them a light sentence…
What facts do you need, Abbi?
You are incorrect They were not visited by the Catholic Archbishop of Lima but by a Bishop of the Eastern Catholic (Armenian) Church which has nothing to do with the RCC and Is a small evangelical denomination with its headquarters in Baghdad! Having said that, fair play to him for trying to help.
Well, in fairness, they could have been planning on staying there another month, maybe catch a bit of Macchu Picchu and hit the tiles in Lima, so maybe 12,000 wraps was probably for personal use Abbi.
The Armenian church does not have it’s headquarters in Baghdad. It’s an orthodox, not an evangelical order with it’s headquarters in Armenia. Regardless, these girls won’t learn anything from this incident if everyone jumps in to coddle them and get them out of trouble. They’re adults. They made choices. I feel sorry for their families who were worried sick, not knowing where they were.
Looks grim.
dont think so niall they will both do 25 yrs to the full watch and see and they should count them selves lucky at that u know.not to sure how it goes in lima man but u get caught in some where like thailand or some where and talking the death penatly. that no shit. they should be aware of that.
I was checking similar cases online last few day in Peru Ronan, They;re looking at 7 to 10 years each if convicted but they’ll be out in about 3. That’s the norm and foreigners don’t serve as much time in Peru. That’s also the norm.
I thought the Belfast girl was in Spain for summer work. She must have been very well paid to be in a position to take a quick break in South America. I wonder what website prompted Peru as such a destination and to think that she never bothered to mention her travel plans with her family!
Yeah, you don’t need to be Captain Obvious to figure out what happened here.
Maybe they should blame the website that prompted Peru as a destination,
The media will jump on another website hate campaign.
They were obviously payed a sum of money to go to Peru and smuggle it back to Ibiza. Only it back fired. Ibiza is rampent for drugs
If I were the cops I would definitely check her hair! The size of that bun, you could get 5kg of drugs into it easily!
That’s why her hair is so big, it’s full of secrets.
ha ha…
They seem fairly composed ( the Scots girl in particular) considering what they might be facing a long time in a foreign prison.
Scots girl maybe too composed? Might suggest she had what she was saying rehearsed. Going on body language only of course, god knows what actually happened.
Looking at the video a few times now, They most likely took a few tablets before trying to smuggle the loot, to try and calm their nerves. You can see the Scottish girl is out of her head probably on sleepers, The Irish girl sobered up very quick after being arrested but still seems calm, Most likely still sedated.
They’ll both come down to reality and wake up in a Peruvian Jail and say to each other, Why the f**k did we do that.
If they’ve never heard about a cavity search before, they soon will.
And for several years.
spot on Sean
The Irish girl actually smirks at the start of the video, when the other girl says her name. I don’t think that at that stage she quite realised what deep doodoo she’s in.
innocent til proven guilty.
What’s to prove, Gallopin’? They were caught with the stuff.
She talked to her family every few days and didn’t mention a trip to Peru ?Sorry a secret trip ,don’t believe a word ,they knew the score.
I wonder was this their first drug run.
Why you would say you were forced, if you then say you didn’t know what was in the bags
I’ve no doubt in my mind they are guilty, but they could be forced to take stuff and not know what it is. It doesn’t have to be drugs, it could have been anything.
So what else do you think could have been smuggled out of a major cocaine-producing region in small bags of powder?
They are very young maybe they didn’t know that the place was rife with drugs. And unless they looked in the packets they wouldn’t no for sure. Again I know this isn’t the case with these girls but it could happen.
I’m sorry but you don’t go to Peru from Ibiza without telling anyone. They only had one reason to go there like that and they got caught for it. With the stories I here coming out of Ibiza about the Irish staying in Ibiza for the summer with minimal work, this doesn’t surprise me.
Ah come on Chloe, do you seriously think a 20 year-old nightclub hostess who had been on holiday in Ibiza hadn’t even heard where cocaine comes from?
Well the packets were labeled hot chocolate that can be bought anywhere in the world..
Then why was she bringing some from Peru to Spain?
This a rehearsed response probably told to them by the men who asked them to smuggle the drugs, If your caught, say this etc. They probably fed them some crap about how well they’d be treated, how lightly their sentence would be as they are young naïve little girls from good families. I heard a guy from some customs dept. in England on the radio and he said that these smugglers have “arrangements” with foreign authorities to notify them when a shipment is coming through and the get a reward for the information if they find drugs. Either way your scr**ed.
And they have both been living under a rock without the benefit of modern communications or TV for HOW many years Chloe???
Four reasons people get caught in situations like this.
1] Greedy
2] Stupid and Naive
3] Someone has something on you and has put the frightners on you.
4] All of the above.
Lucky they werent out in Singapore or them parts.They would be looking at a firing squad in their futures.
Come on Chloe they are not 12! They knew exactly what they were doing.
Come on, Chloe, get real…
Seriously, they didn’t know? They may be young but not stupid, they knew exactly what they were doing, and may have done it before around Spain, welcome to the discovery channel, pity they didn’t spend a night in watching it rather than hosting parties, and the girl on the left smirking as the cop spoke, broken English I see a world of hurt for these two mules
Exactly my point , so what’s with the red thumbs….daw
For two girls who have been on the sunny isle of Ibiza ,for a couple of months…….they are awful pale.
Makes you wonder.
I just watched an episode of banged up abroad last night, I would not want to be in their situation, all I can say is best of luck
Banged up abroad is a horrible programme. The people featured always try and justify why they were trying to smuggle drugs they never say yes it was for the money.
But it should help stop the naive people greeting into those situations
I would be willing to bet that the two girls were living the life in ibiza and fell in with some “party people” with drugs and all that goes with it and next thing all rhe drugs they though were for free now needed to be paid for and the girls must of not had it. Id say they were told to do this to pay thier debt and get a nice payday so they could just party for the summer and not work.
Im again also sure that the gang had someone to talk to them saying that they had done it no problem and was now living the life on this easy money.
You can picture them being told that, sure you’re good looking girls no-one will suspect you.
I hope the government does not waste our tax money in helping someone who was bringing drugs from one foreign country to another foreign country.
I do feel sorry for her as its a waste of her life but she has no-one to blame but herself.
Nidge isn’t going to be happy!
Maybe if they visited Peru for a reasonable period of time like any normal tourist, the excuse of ‘we were forced to put them in our suitcase and didn’t know they were drugs’ might be slightly believable. Tut tut.
At the start of the video Michaella even manages to have a smile, let’s hope that’s a nervous reaction as she realises she’s in deep deep trouble
Poor girls, whatever the wrongs they are v young and made a terrible mistake. Show this to your daughters/sons!!!
They are adults. They knew exactly what they were doing.
Correct. I never said otherwise. But they will pay massively for a crazy decision and I personally feel some sympathy towards them.
I agree Hank, they are very young and both their families must be in complete shock. But at the same time you have to look at the amount of life’s that are destroyed by drugs and now even their own. The big so called people who plan all the drug smuggling never handle the merchandise themselves because they have silly and vunerable girls to do their dirty work. If they have no previous record and they were used I hope they get a chance, just for their family. I know people will not agree with me but god forbid I would hate had it being my daughter. Young people beware especially going abroad and be very very careful who you meet up with.
Of course this is everyone’s fault except these poor two innocent girls. It’s the bad crowd’s fault that they fell in with in Peru. It’s the big evil drug dealer’s fault who forced them to unwittingly take all that coke in their bags. It’s Peru’s fault for having coke in the first place. And it’s the media’s fault for reporting the story. #PRAY4THEPERU2 #OURANGELS.
Best comment so far
From watching “banged up abroad” (as opposed to personal experience), the drug gangs usually lure you over with some sort of deal. When you arrive they take your passport, maybe lock you up, threaten to have you shot (or else your family back home – showing you pictures of your parents’ house, etc.). Then you load you up with ridiculous amounts of drugs and drive you to the airport. They have their heavies shadow you all the way up to check in/customs. They usually tell the “mule” that the customs officers are working for them anyway in case they think of trying anything. The way the gangs lure people into being mules isn’t really that different to the way sex traffickers operate. I have some sympathy for these girls and I’m surprised at the comments and bile I’m seeing on the journal considering nobody knows the full facts yet. Until I hear more, the only thing these girls are guilty of is being naïve (who hasn’t been).
Yeah I agree, their age plays a massive part in this I’d say. I doubt there were any heavies needed even..just a free hol and a lump sum of money each. I do feel a lot of sympathy for them as they are but young girls. Old enough to know better but at the same time probably not. Extremely naive. Do Peru hand out big sentences for drugs ?
They can face 21 years each Paul
It takes a certain level of naivety to end up in a Peru airport with 5kgs of coke in your bag.
A somewhat unbelievable level of naivety I would say.
I think they are naive for falling for whatever ploy was used to get them to Peru. I honestly believe that once they got to Peru, they were f*&ked and they wouldn’t have had any choice but smuggle the drugs. I’m not assuming that the girls weren’t recreational users (why else would you go to Ibiza?). But there is a big difference between enjoying your 20’s and getting caught in a third world country with 5kg’s of the stuff.
No they can’t. The max sentence in Peru for less than 10kg of cocaine is 7 years 8 months. The newspapers are putting it in their headlines they can face 25 years but if you actually read the article it says they can get 25 years if one of them is charged for the entire haul
Well they have 2 options.
1) charge each girl with what was caught on them or
2) seeing as how they were travelling together, charge them both with smuggling the combined weight.
You don’t think, Tom, that they knew damn well why they were being given a free return ticket to Peru??
In all likelihood they knew why they were going to Peru. From “banged up aboard”, the mule is usually told they are moving a small amount of product, small enough that they can wrap up in condoms and swallow: making detection very difficult. When they arrive, the drug gangs pile the stuff on to them. You can’t back out because you’ve agreed to it (how they got them to agree in Ibiza is unknown: either they were coerced or else it was themoney) but the risks have now increased significantly. Of course it could just be greed by the girls, maybe they’ve done this before, we don’t know do we?
Tom, I don’t care if they thought it was going to be a tiny amount or a big amount, they knew what they were doing. If they didn’t, they should be in some institution for the mentally feeble and not let out into society. Drugs kill – a tiny amount can kill. And did they really think someone would pay for two return fares to Peru in order to smuggle a small amount of drugs?
Well said Tom. Every one makes mistakes. Granted this is a massive one and some of the other people posting this evening are right drugs do ruin lives. But i would bet the people who have posted those comments have had a little more life experience then these two girls – one of whom is still a teenager. Having spent time in South America and Peru travelling and seeing the extremes of poverty v’s wealth and the issues the western appetite for drugs has created in Bolivia,Peru, Brazil etc I would not wish what these girls will soon experience on anyone.
No pity for them. Hope they feel the full extent of the law over there. I’ve seen the damage drugs can do. They knew what they were at.
So they argument is they were forced, ok fair enough lets take that at face value for a moment.
- If you were forced to take a back would you not think it was MIGHTY suspect for atleast one moment?
- Would part of you think that maybe, just maybe something dodgy was in it?
- Would you not be tempted to open the bag and look?
If you even thought for one second that it might contain any drugs which you could be caught with would you not seek out airport security prior to trying to go through the security area/bag check in area in the airport.
Explain you were forced to carry the bag and example you don’t know whats in it but you fear for your safety when you arrive at your destination regardless.
Look to be kept safe, look to get home safely.
If you owned up like this with a story like that then surely the authoritys would not jail you on the same level as what these girls actually did,.
They force you by threatening to kill your friends or family if you don’t comply. If you call their bluff, they kill your friends and family. Simple as that and happens all the time. Telling the authorities doesn’t help you one little bit.
Plus the gangs have a deal with customs to inform them when a shipment is going through. Then in return they turn a blind eye to the bigger shipments as long as they have enough of the small ones. Get it ?
Nonsense Tony, if there was a deal they wouldn’t have been caught,
As for “they’ll kill your family”, how many cases of a persons family do you hear about being randomly killed in the UK & Ireland like that? Its a threat, nothing more in the vast vast majority of cases.
Sure their lives may be at risk at the departing and destination country’s (Peru and Spain in this case) but these women likely would have been perfectly safe at home in Ireland and the UK.
I think we’re all missing the important point here which is, what on earth were they doing in Peru if they weren’t there to smuggle drugs?
Machu Picchu. – the inca trail.
1 place id like to see before I die :)
Or maybe to visit paddington bear :)
Oh and think about this, things must have been going “great” for her if she could afford to leave her job in the middle of summer and go off to Peru, even for a few days. The thing is though, the pay for jobs like hers are crap,
The price of a ticket for one person going from Ibiza to Peru for one week, going in 7 days time costs €1,220, then she’d want spending money on top.
So she was either pulling in extra money from somewhere outside her job, or someone else gave her the cash to head over. And if she was going to tell her family and friends she was going over, they’d want to know where she suddenly got the money to fly over, if the pay was crap.
Lets put it into the equation.
You are dumped in a shit hole hotel room where there a bunch of very large ugly lads who tell you here is the stuff,put it in your suit case.” Ug here will drive you to the airport and give your tickets and passports back at the door.Keep your traps shut, and don’t try anything stupid on the way there or at the airport,as Ug likes to torture silly girls for a week or two before he kills them.Here’s a pic or two of the last one he played with.Think thats number 24.Oh and dont bother going to the security or the cops either.We have a bunch of them on our payroll in the airport and police force.So we can reach out and get you even in protective custody.
Have a nice trip now.!”
What are you, a writer for the Sopranos?
Sorry! Comment above was directed at ‘Tonybeegood’, sounded more like an enforcement of the threat a drug dealer would make than a mere comment! This whole ‘did they, didn’t they’ is bordering on the ridiculous! I think it’s safe to say that both girls are guilty, look at the facts! British girl at start of the video looked as if she was being kept late to catch a flight out of Peru and ‘Kayla’ at the start looked like she’d just heard something funny and wasn’t sure whether it was right to laugh or not! Hopefully they get what’s coming…… NO SYMPATHY, BECAUSE DRUG COURIERS DON’T DESERVE IT!
And how would they have ended up in this hotel room in the first place, Simon? “Here’s two free tickets to Peru, girls, have yourselves a little holiday on us. No catch”…
Yeah right, Tonybeegood. How many times have you heard of Peruvian druglords or even their henchmen roaming the streets of Ireland or any country asking where the family of their drug mule lives so that they can kill them? As if they’ve nothing else to do. I do not think so!
So why not make a fuss, on the out bound flight. Stand up and say bomb…They land the plane, and everyone you know, has armed police outside there house.
And as the lines in Glen Fry ‘s song
“Smugglers blues” [Miami Vice vol 1]
So baby heres your ticket,suitcase in your hand.Here’s a little money, now do it just the way we planned.
You be cool for twenty hours and I’ll pay you twenty grand.”
“Sorry it went down like this,someone had to lose,its the nature of the busisness,the smugglers blues.”
Allegedly some 14% of the inmates of that Peruvian prison,Santa Monica de Chorilla (may have misspelled the name) are European women that have been caught for pretty much the exact same crime..
57 spaniards in 2012 were caught smuggling cocaine from Peru. That airport has the highest detection rate in South America, overall some 287 people of various nationalities have been detected/prosecuted for smuggling cocaine in Peru in 2012. It’s hard to believe the girls didn’t know what their trip to South America was really for. Whether they were forced or otherwise this thing happens on a daily basis to many youngsters. I pity their parents and family as the naivety of their child will ruin the best part of their lives. It’s a shame…
Biggest crime I can see is the hair style!
Drugs are bad
Mmmm-kay
They are just doing what all women do when caught doing something criminal. “There was a bad man, and he was bad, and he made me do bad things and I’m a victim”. I’ve heard that so often, I could write a tune for it.
Where was there any mention of a man making them do anything? Sexist.
They always clam they were Forced to do it
One of the great legal minds of our generation. Especially in the way you upper-cased the ‘f’ in ‘forced’
You didn’t cop the clam rather than claim when you were checking for grammar?
I did. It’s not grammar though, it’s orthography.
Is it important to you? I can mention it now if you want.
CLAM <— OMG LOL
Who learned you to talk!!
Peru has the reputation as the cocaine capitol of the world,its one of the reasons that the country has some of the most notorious jail conditions in the world, from what i know,its one of the last places on earth you would choose to do jail time.
Try the Bangkok Hilton or “Big Tiger”.A total and utter hell hole.The Thais are considerd by and large very friendly race,not when you end up in their jail system.
The book ‘The damage done’ paints a horrific picture of Big Tiger.. Worth a read!
I’m sorry for being a sceptic…but you don’t just jet off to South America for 9 days while already on what would be seen as a summer holiday. They knew what they were doing, hence why they didn’t tell anyone where they were going, including their poor family.
They deserve what they get. I barely bring 15kg’s of clothes with me on holidays, so 15kg on cocaine was always going to be caught.
So naive…and so screwed.
I’m no body language expert but to me Michaela looks like she is cackling herself . The Scottish girl looks really composed and cool
Will ya be quite lawlor! Ya haven’t got a clue!
She looked to me as if she wasn’t really taking the thing seriously, even giving a little smirk at the beginning. She looked like she was up in front of the head nun in school rather than the Peruvian authorities.
Let this be a lesson to all you drug couriers,they will do serious time for this,no matter what alibi or bs they throw out,the cops in Peru are well used to idiots like this and don’t buy the sob stories,unlike the justice system here where drug dealers are walking the streets with hundreds of convictions.
could’int have said it better if somebody is caught smuggling drugs or selling them they should be made eat them then they can see the effect of their actions for a few quid throw away the key i say
God, I did so much stupid sh1t when I was her age, including in that very airport (not on as monumental scale as this, but stupid nevertheless) it’s not hard to imagine myself in that situation.
On the one hand it’s a predicament of her own creation, but on the other, it’s difficult not to feel pity for her, given the future she’s facing.
I agree. A silly decision made by a 20 year old girl. I don’t care what anyone says, 20 is the new 12 in terms of “cop on” and perceived social responsibility. Some of the people posting comments here would wanna lay off on the judgement.
15kg of cocaine isnt a silly mistake…it’s a massive haul in terms of drugs. Over the €1 million mark. Wont see freedom for a very long time
More like 12 is the new 20!!!
A British lad found with just under 1.5 kg in the same airport got 6 years. They are screwed!
Silly decision…I realise the gravity of the situation and I take your point. The point I’m trying to make is that we (in developed countries) live in a society where people aren’t forced to live fully in the real world until they are in their mid 20′s. This girl made the wrong choice and that choice and the knock on effects are only being realised by her now. It doesn’t mean that she’s an inherently bad person who deserves to spend years in a Peruvian jail.
Bad people or not, they got caught in Peru so they have to spend their prison time there.
Maybe that’ll teach them a lesson.
She may not be inherently bad, but you can’t decide on the severity on a sentence for drug smuggling based on a person’s character. Drugs are the greatest scourge of the modern age, and countries have to be very hard on this kind of thing. People know that, and they take risks.
And the way to break this and win the war utterly on drugs is to legalise it and make it a controlled global substance taxed,checked for purity and rationed to users. Game set and match to the entire world,criminal and narco terrorists out of busisness in one fell swoop.
But that will never happen as BOTH sides of the drug war have huge financial stakes in the game.
Just two more casualties of the drug war.
It seems incredible that these young women could be so lacking in judgement. There are simply too many unanswered questions relating to this affair, and I’m afraid ‘I didn’t know’ just doesn’t cut any ice. In this day and age one would have to have been closeted away from the world, not to know such things so often occur. I lament their plight, for we all do foolish things, however peddling drugs in any format is beyond the pale as far as I’m concerned.
I’m guessing that the criminal gangs involved have some sort of recruitment process in place, sure how else are they going to get a steady supply of coke from South America to Ibiza? I’m sure it’s easily done too, nice guy befriends young girls, invites them to a few savage parties, plenty of booze & coke, followed by more parties and good times, allows them rack up a bit of a drug debt. and then it all changes, demands for money turn into threats of violence and then the “easy fool proof” solution is offered, everything’s arranged so there’s no chance of getting caught, debts will be wiped clean and €5k each on your return. Yes, it was too good to be true.
There was an interesting documentary about the drug trade in Peru on BBC3 last night ‘The Cocaine Capital of the World.’
Do any of you’s seriously believe that two young girls would fly to Peru to bring back €2 million worth of coke off their own bat? Obviously we can only speculate about these girls situation but you’ll find most drugs mules do it under duress. Do people realise the money involved here? Does anyone think a big time drug dealer is going to let two girls transport such a large amount of drugs without some sort of insurance? Has no one here ever watched banged up abroad!!!
Nothing to do with the lure of a lump sum money.
Have YOU never watched Banged up Abroad, Keith?! They’re generally told it’ll be easy money and that it’s a foolproof plan, all they have to do is bring back a small amount of coke. Then when they get there, their passports are taken and they find out they have to bring way more coke than they originally thought. They’re often used as a distraction so that larger amounts can get through. In that sense, I feel sorry for them but you’d want to be pretty naive to get yourself in that situation. 19 is old enough to know you shouldn’t expect a free holiday to Peru off somebody you don’t know.
Keith drugs mules are never forced as it increases the risk of the product being intercepted and the loss being borne by the supplier. The mules Fo it for the same reason the suppliers do, quick and easy money. The high risks involved can make for attractive payments and there are many greedy and naive idiots more than willing to try it. Some mules from the source countries do so out of desperation to earn money which may otherwise be uncontainable but someone spending the summer in Ibiza is hardly a pauper.
What would you know ya cabbage! Who are ya Elliot ness? Some sort of criminal mastermind! The local bishop said they’ve been set up! He’s a man of the cloth so he’s in the best position to make a judgment on this!
Drug lords would have children traffic any amount of drugs as long as its not them getting caught! Drug lords can afford to lose 1in every 4 drug trafficking moves as they have more €€ than what the load was worth! As long as its not him getting caught, they don’t care!
It doesn’t have to be duress. Ever heard of the lure of big wads of cash?
“The local bishop said they’ve been set up!”
Why set up these 2 in particular? What makes them so special? If they were set up, then why €1.7 million euro’s worth of cocaine? Surely it would have been more cost effective to use a couple of hundred euro’s worth, maybe a few thousands?
Yes I do. I know because I was 20 once and I did enough crazy sh1t to last several lifetimes. Never touched drugs though. I’ll also bet they were snorting plenty of it all along the way.
I’m also sure they had help. Somebody to sell it to them and somebody to buy it at the other end. Think of the deal in Trainspotting, except instead of the train to London it’s the flight to Peru. They probably thought make one little trip, bring back some packages on the plane, make the sale and it’ll all be grand. Then go back to Ibiza to retire. No need to go to college or work in an office ever again. Just lie on the beach all day. Parents and family don’t need to know anything.
The perfect crime. What could possibly go wrong?
I actually feel sorry for them ..
The Irish girl especially she looks really scared , the Scottish one is very sure of herself.
Explain why you feel sorry for them Chloe?
Looks scared?? She has a smirk on her at the start!
Probably believe that they’re invincible and that someone else will rescue them from the deep pile of poo that they are in. The severity of reality might kick in soon. Still, who knows what they’re thinking?
I feel sorry for them because there 19 and 20. They are so young and were probably fed loads of lies. They are not major criminals for god sake their two stupid girls who made a mistake and now they will pay the price.
They were probably promised anything between 6k -10k to shift the load and promised the lifestyle of the rich and famous, cruising on yachts and lounging around in villas and don’t have to work! it was greed Chloe!
they deserve everything coming to them. Anybody who would do something like this is stupid and selfish. How can you feel sorry for anyone that’s part of the drug trade? Drugs destroy lives and now they’ve destroyed their own. Their families deserve the sympathy not these two!
You don’t think they ever watched “Banged up Abroad”?
Well I don’t feel a bit sorry for them. They were bringing in a dangerous substance that destroys lives.
They’re a pair or birdbrains who thought they could get rich by simply smuggling drugs out through one of the most controlled airports on the planet. They were carrying half the legal limit of weight onto the plane. Bags get x-rayed. Customs police ain’t stupid and, as I can testify from experience, if anything about you looks out of place at the airport you’re guaranteed to be pulled over. An Irish and a Scottish girl traveling together, passports with entry stamps from a few days earlier get you pulled over right away. Besides, who brings 11 kilos of hot chocolate from Peru anyway? Not too bright at all.
Even if they were mules, I imagine the boss wouldn’t do something that stupid and lose his investment.
Both of them could at least have looked scared,,,,,instead of projecting themselves in a manner, that for the world came across as, if we say we didnt know what we were carrying, then this will be a piece of piss,,,,,,They were both devoid of feeling and fear,,,,,,if anything they conducted that interview as 2 seasoned Mules,,,,,,,Dont doubt for a second that their intentions were less than honourable,
Yes, that man was so sweet, of course they obliged and took his drinking chocolate back for him. I mean, who wouldn’t in those circumstances? What else could it possibly be? Horlicks?
dont do the crime if ya cant do the time – stupidity does not protect you from punishment
I would imagine the allure of “easy” money would be very tempting and these silly girls made a conscious decision to give it a go.
Now they will pay the price.
a lot of straight-edged comments from people on here who would change their tune in the blink of an eye if it happened to their sister/girlfriend/daughter.
That’s what we call ‘victim blaming’…
Only thing is they’re not victims :D
After 9/11, who in their right mind would take a package off some random (and apparently forceful) stranger and bring that package onto a plane?!
No sympathy whatsoever!!
Have a nice day :)
A loving parent will tell their child when they have done wrong. They would also stand by them and help in any way they can.
No one here is saying the parents should disown them and not give their kids support and help.
Well Arthur, ANYBODY who is caught smuggling drugs deserve all the contempt they get.
Rather these two idiots sit in jail for a few years then have cocaine they were smuggling on the streets.
“……if it happened to their sister/girlfriend/daughter”
Happened TO?
Don’t believe the Scottish girls claims of being forced to carry the drugs. Their ‘boss’ must be planking it back in Madrid. They look so calm probably because they’re safer in that prison than facing their ‘boss’.
I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
They now face “overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate nutrition and healthcare. Inmates had intermittent access to running water, bathing facilities were inadequate, kitchen facilities were unhygienic, and prisoners slept in hallways for lack of cell space. TB and HIV are at near-epidemic levels.”
Another report “noted abuse of detainees and inmates by police and prison security forces, harsh conditions, lengthy pre-trial detention and inordinate trial delays.”
“The guards are usually very corrupt. They would take whatever possible from visitors. And you can’t make friends with the guards – every seven months they are moved to another jail.”
So tell me again how they safer in prison?
Wonder what they would have spent their mule fees on? a college course? a pair of sensible shoes or drink&drugs
A trip to the hairdresser would be a good start for the Irish one.
Coincidentally the banged up abroad aired last night was a guy caught smuggling coke in Peru ,, Jesus the prison really does look like hell hole , not sure that “I was forced to take these bags” is gonna cut it , seems odd how the police video “emerged” so quickly, usually these cases seem to grind thru courts etc for a few months but here it seems only days later police releasing videos internationally …hmm seems kinda strange.
Cracking looking birds all the same. Such a waste.
Cause it would be less of a shame if they weren’t good looking.. Think before you type.
Good girleen.
Cos you would be feeling as sorry for them if they were fellas Chloe?
Yea honestly I would , if they were 19 and 20 year old men then I would still consider them stupid teenagers.
T’would be
LIES
I just feel bad for their parents & family
Body language is very composed, scots women seems to be doing the talking and defending (‘I was forced to to put these drugs in my bag’) surely any young girl would be in tears after experiencing such a thing! Why not fess up before even checking in? Another question to ask, was the Scottish girl reported missing by any of her friends or family? Or is she apart of whatever drug lord organised the drug trafficking? So many question!
This is a simple case of dumb women going out and doing a load of coke , not paying for it, finding out they cant solve this problem with sexual favours then having to smuggle drugs to pay off the debt , getting caught and hoping everyone at home wont cop on and let them play the victim card, lock them up.
Lock them up and throw away the key, drug smuggling is vile!
Wasn’t worth the free all expenses paid trip to Peru and 8,000 each to carry bags of “food”
:-(
No sympathy for them. Two girls working for pittance in Ibiza decide to take a holiday to Peru? They knew exactly what they were at and that there were drugs in those bags. Feel bad for their families but I don’t feel bad for them. Lock em up.
What in under gods name is Michaella laughing at the start of the video! Smile should be slapped off her face, stupid girl! And that other one is a right cheeky madame!
Probably nervous
She was very figity wasn’t she
They’ve done it before i reckon just got caught this time
Orange is the new black!!!!
The reality is that most drug mules don’t get caught and some people consider the easy money a risk worth taking. As for this specific case I will wait until they have their day in court before I make up my mind.
I dont have much sympathy for these 2. They are not exactly 8 year olds. They knew exactly what they were doing and they were lucky they were caught in Peru.. When they get out of a peruvian jail they be cured of the ‘Drug Scene’ for life. In my view we are too soft in Ireland on these crimes. If they got away with it, they would probably be found is some gutter in Ibiza overdosed sooner or later. People who do drugs have to mix with drug dealers. Drug Dealers are slaves to their Suppliers as most are heavy users themselves. When you lie with dogs you always end up with fleas. Simple solution. Dont Do Drugs!
How in the name of God did they end up in Peru, they are both so young to be getting involved in drugs and destroying both their life’s. this is a warning to all young girls stay away from drugs and from the people that will try to entice you.
They made a terrible terrible mistake but I can’t help but feel for them. In the cold reality of day to day jail in Peru – poor girls. Hope they get out asap
Not sure ‘mistake’ is applicable
Beats the hell out of mount joy!!!
Mistake, Maurice? How is it a mistake to knowingly transport drugs that kill people and make other people’s lives a living hell?
Look at their eyes, they’ve definitely been snorting the shit out of it recently.
Is the ‘Irish’ girl on a british or Irish passport?
Irish apparently
John Tierney, what do you mean ‘Irish’? Just because someone is unfortunate enough to be from the north doesn’t mean they’re not Irish. Wasn’t aware you had to be southern to be ‘Irish’. 100 years ago all the 32 counties were Ireland. Quit bein a knob thinkin your the lad coz your from the republic. She’s just as Irish as you ye ball sack
Calm down Killian. Only asking
Quote from the Indo
“Looking nervous and standing beside her pal Melissa Reid, Michaella says her name before confirming her name and nationality.
British media are reporting that both girls are from the UK but Michaella can be heard telling investigators that she is Irish”
Well it does cause a lot of confusion when people who live in the North call themselves Irish when clearly they live in the internationally recognised state of “Great Britain & Northern Ireland” whether they like it or not. Why couldn’t they be “Northern Irish”?
There is no Irish embassy in Peru. Per the Irish government, Peru does not exist. I am not kidding google, the visa forms. So the UK embassy is stepping in for an EU national in distress
A long stretch in one of the worst prisons in the world will wipe the smirk off her face pretty quick! She must have thought she was on a tv show judging by her reaction.
I’m sure they’ll have plenty of time to rue their stupidity : when u carry misery and suffering to many more u deserve what u get .
Two very silly girls. No sympathy.
That’s some skill you have there Stiofan. Lets get rid of all judges / juries / courts and let you decide who’s guilty.
Good luck girls. If they serve less than 3 years they will be blessed. I bet being back in boring old Ireland would be a dream come true now. From what I have read the male prisons are a lot worse than the female prisons.
I believe they new exactly what they were carrying…..I think they were just very naive girls to think they wouldn’t get caught ! A small part of me feels for them for what they are about to face ! Silly Girls.
No Sympathy! Think of how many lives they could have destroyed by the drugs instead it’s just their own. That’ll learn them.
Totally agree. If they got mixed up with the wrong people & were forced you’d feel sorry for them. But if they were trying to make a quick buck, then no ive no sympathy.
drug cartels are destroying southern America. How many lives were cost producing that cocaine or potentially lost consuming it!
just because their young pretty girls people have more sympathy then the usual suspects involved in smuggling.
south america not southern
Guys, Im not disputing what you are saying, I am well aware of the seriousness of their crime and the reprecusions if they HAD got away with it….and if u do the crime….you have to do the time…..I just wouldn’t wish the environment they about to enter on my worst enemy !! Anyway, we don’t know the full story….it could be more than a year before it goes to trial.
“It’ll be grand” they said.
“It’s just soup” they said.
Lock them up.Their Ibiza ‘adventure’ is over.
That one had a grand life and now she’s after flushing it down the toilet , fool of a girl
Because of their idiotic move, their future prospects have been knocked down to sweet damn all. There is no way in hell they are coming out of this with no prison time.
If they want to get a visa for Australia, The States, or anywhere else, they’ll have to tell them about any previous convictions. They are going to be in no rush to let them in once they find out they got caught in Peru with nearly 12 kg’s of cocaine in their bags. Hell, they’ll be lucky to be let in as tourists.
And let’s not forget, a conviction will bar them from certain jobs in the future.
I think travelling to the US or Australian are the least of their worries..
Well any future plans they had to go anywhere have slimmed down majorly now over this.
They ruined their own lives by smuggling drugs which would have ruined other people’s lives.
Feel sorry for their families but they knew what they were getting involved with and they were prepared to take the risk and they were caught red handed they are as bad as the people who gave them the drugs to carry , they are old enough to know right from wrong
Michaella is absolutely terrified in that video, the Scottish girl looks pissed off. Neither look at all calm or composed……….
are we viewing the same clip of video coverage ?
You know what, I wonder if there will be as much level of sympathy if that was two African girls saying they didn’t know they were carrying drugs?
Surely Sinn Féin might be able to send a letter to the authorities?
Conor, they could claim they were birdwatching…
That only applies for card carrying members in Coloumbia on bird watching trips.
She should have been arrested just for that hair style
And found guilty and throw away the key.
Thought of this Song when I first heard this story:
There’s trouble on the streets tonight, I can feel it in my bones
I had a premonition that he should not go alone
I knew the gun was loaded, but I didn’t think it’d kill
then everything exploded and the blood began to spill
So baby, here’s your ticket, put the suitcase in your hand
here’s a little money now, do it just the way we planned
you be cool for twenty hours and I’ll pay you twenty grand
I’m sorry it went down like this
but someone had to lose
It’s the nature of the business
It’s the smuggler’s blues
smuggler’s blues
The sailors and pilots, the soldiers and the law
the pay-offs and the rip-offs, and the things nobody saw
No matter if it’s heroin, cocaine, or hash
you’ve got to carry weapons, ’cause you always carry cash
There’s lots of shady characters, lots of dirty deals
every name’s an alias in case somebody squeals
It’s the lure of easy money; it’s got a very strong appeal
Perhaps you’d understand it better
standin’ in my shoes
It’s the ultimate enticement
It’s the smuggler’s blues
smuggler’s blues
You see it in the headlines, you hear it every day
they say they’re gonna stop it but it doesn’t go away
They move it through Miami and sell it in L.A.
they hide it up in Telluride, I mean it’s here to stay
It’s propping up the governments in Colombia and Peru
You ask any DEA man, he’ll say, “There’s nothin’ we can do”
From the office of the President, right down to me and you
me and you
It’s a losing proposition
but one you can’t refuse
It’s the politics of contraband
It’s the smuggler’s blues
smuggler’s blues…
You could have just named the song
Cut to the chase,,,,,,Doesnt matter if they are pretty or ugly,,,,,,19 or 20……the evidence is so stacked against them,,,,,,if they were provided with the financial means to take a flight from ibiza to peru, and they accepted it, then they were big and bold enough to know that nothing in life is free,,,,and if it appears to be then there is something immoral going on,,,,,,Tap dancing Jaysus, no one could be so naive that they are oblivious to being asked to carry extra baggage to another country without their being something suspicious about it,,,,,i hope to god, for their families sakes that their chase was better than the kill !!
You hit the nail n the head Jacqueline….I cannot understand how people are so quick to defend them and feel so sorry for those two girls, I’m not a cold hearted person but i believe they knew what they were doing, all a bit suspicious that their families didn’t even know they were taking a trip to Peru (expensive trip to get there itself). The video clip did not make them seem vulnerable at all…smirking and the Scottish girl is ballsy as hell……innocent or guilty wouldn’t anyone be bricking it being under questioning in a Peru airport?
F–k the pair of them I hope they get 25yrs.Dont try and tell me they didn’t know what they were at do the crime do the time
How’s that if one says she’s Irish??????
Their poor families must be devastated. I have no sympathy for those girls though. They got themselves into that situation. Have they never heard of Banged Up Abroad?!
2 stuck up muppets looking for a quick buck to live the high life.
Delighted for them both!
Now the media are feeling sorry for them, I mean seriously… they knew very well what they were doing!
Heard on the radio that prison in Peru are terrible, its going to be hard… blah blah but what do you expect?
Its a Jail! JAIL! Not a 5 star hotel lads!
Smuggling such a huge amount of drugs in SA and ASIA if you get caught = JAIL and sometimes death penalty!
What were they thinking??
Then to turn around saying they were forced at GUN point?? Ah please! Take responsibility for your actions – full stop.
They’re both British! ;)
Im more worried that the gang that had them do it will try and silence them before anything else comes out, so bare that in mind before u lot start saying they deserve what they get
My solicitor was arrested in Peru for smuggling cocaine. He was a handsome, charming, witty and gregarious fellow in San Francisco at the time. By the time he was released (and he was a solicitor, mind you) seven years later, he had lost most of his teeth, about 50 pounds, picked up a host of intestinal parasites, tuberculosis and a couple of CNS disorders. He emerged, as they say, “a broken man”. And he had a hell of a lot less than 11 kilos on him when he was picked up.
Same on the BBC3 doc last night young lad , some of his teeth were missing and he was into 2 years of a 6 year sentence
was it the search by the family that put customs on the lookout? really shudda told their families where they were going..
they should also ask for a purity test of the ‘cocaine’ looks cut up to bits!!! :)
The debate of the day…. Did they or didn’t they?
Where’s the debate, Marlon? They did.
I guess innocent till proven guilty…
However, the debate is… Were they forced or did they knowingly put it in their suitcases themselves.
They had to fly into Jorge Chavez, they would have seen the checks on every gringo…
They were caught with the drugs, Marlon. There’s no innocent about it. Whether they were “forced” or not, they still did it. Coercion is no excuse; they could have got to the airport and gone straight to the police and explained that they had been “forced” to take bags with them. At that point, no one who was supposedly forcing them could have touched them.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/peru-drugs-arrests-british-girls-2158694
Who’s to say there wasn’t a member of this gang going on the same flight , watching them making sure they followed through, it could happen to anyone , at 19 & 20 especially you would be petrified ,thinking their families could be hurt or themselves, you wouldn’t have the bravery to stand up to these people it’s easier said than done!
It is a possibility that this is what happened …. If not then its pure greed and they deserve to do the time …,
or I just wouldn’t have gone to Peru in the first place!
Mags, they didn’t have to go there in the first place, and they could have approached police at any time and told them their story, IF it was true.
So, Banged up Abroad is the template for most of the opinions on this comment line? I saw this on banged up abroad, I saw that on banged up abroad. The ‘actual facts’ of the case have already been ascertained by the vast majority of commentators on this site apparently. They may be guilty as sin, that’s true. They also may be chin deep in something that they took no willing part in. Their body language is being assessed by ‘experts’, suggesting everything from arrogance to intoxication. As much as anyone can make a reasonable assumption as to what has happened, it still is not known exactly what has happened. I wish some people would at least try to give them the benefit of being regarded as innocent until proven guilty. They may very well be guilty, but many people were sent to their deaths on the basis of presumption which later turned out to be incorrect. Spare a thought for their families and friends, they could be one of your own.
I feel terrible for their poor families. I’d be quite happy to spare them a thought, seeing as their own daughters clearly couldn’t be bothered to.
Well Cathal, enlighten me as to how they claim innocence.
I’d love to hear how they can be caught with that much cocaine, at that value and still be innocent.
I shouldn’t have to enlighten you at all. It’s a prerequisite in any modern legal system. The right to be regarded innocent until proven guilty, the right to a fair trial and the the right to speak in your own defence. After that you may be found guilty or innocent based on the the evidence before the judge. There’s no need to be a snot about it.
Cathal, they either terminally stupid, in which case they should be in an institution, or they knew what they were doing. Or they’re guilty.
Nobody with more than one brain cell would think, if they were offered a return ticket to Peru, that they were being given it out of the goodness of their heart.
Offered or were forced into it? Threatened or bought? Conned or led willingly? None of which you know yet. None of which have been ascertained or proven. Make of it what you will, but you know ‘nothing’ of substance yet. They probably are guilty, probably of complete idiocy, failure to grasp the difference between telly and real life but the lack of compassion for what they might face and their families for the next 15 years of their lives is beyond comprehension.
There’s was nothing snotty in asking you to clarify something. If you don’t like people asking you to expand on a point you made, then keep the point to yourself.
Anyway, proving they are guilty is pretty much certain. They were caught red handed, in the airport, with the cocaine in their bags. How much more proof do people need?
There are no two ways about it. They are going to do time. There is no chance in hell they are just going to walk away when they were caught with €1.7 million’s worth of cocaine.
It’s up to the courts now to decide how long they will serve. How they behave and what they say might help their case, but not by much. Look at how many foreign people have been imprisoned so far in Peru. That will show you how much of a chance they have of ending up in prison.
Well Cathal, enlighten me as to how they claim innocence.
I’d love to hear how they can be caught with that much cocaine, at that value and still be innocent.
See that there? Yeah. That’s snottiness.
Actually you’re response has been nothing but snotty and childish. I asked you to elaborate your response, if you can’t handle that, get off the internet and stop talking to people,
And I’ll tell you what is known for a fact, they were caught with the drugs in their bags.
That is what is known for a fact and will NOT spare them from a jail sentence.
What they decide to say will determine how long they spend in prison over there. Their best option is to say they were forced, as that will probably give them the least amount of time in prison, but guess how many foreigners have gotten off lightly for being forced into drug smuggling over there?
Zip. Zero. None.
They are another two in an extremely long line of smugglers that have been caught and being sent down.
At first they claimed they didn’t know anything, then they changed their story and were forced at gun point. Give it a few days and they’ll probably change their stories again to something else.
But how can it be proven they were forced into doing it? All we have is their word, but if they claim they were forced, then they’ll have to prove it. They’ll have to give names, descriptions, Who, what, when, where, why, how.
Oh and they don’t want to talk to any journalists? If they were as innocent as they initially claimed, they’d be talking to as many journalists as much as possible and try and clear their name.
I think its you who needs to get off the internet mate. I’ll say it again, you were being a snot. You can’t retract it, and you’re pissed off. My comment was not based on anything other but fact. You my friend are the self-anointed King of Conjecture. You haven’t a balls clue what you’re on about, I’m not claiming to. Just looking at the facts, pre-trial, pre-sentencing. What may be, or can be argued.
Proving something is not the be all and end all of any legal argument, it may be just as easy to prove that they may not have been aware of the contents of the packages. Reasonable doubt. But of course, you know all that. End of ‘conversation’.
When it comes to court, it’s all about what you CAN prove. In this case it CAN be proven they had drugs in their bags. There is no “reasonable” doubt. It was there.
If we take their claim they were forced over, did they really think they were “forced” to fly over to Peru, just to pick up some food and bring it back to Spain? They must have known something else was going on.
We only have their word that they didn’t know what was in the packages. Seeing as how they are the ones up for drug smuggling they are the ones who are going to have to convince the court that they didn’t know, but considering Peru’s track record of convicting drug smuggler’s, i don’t see them having much luck.
But now the lawyer that has flown over has said he’s sure they were conned. Conned! How the hell did he come to that conclusion? They say forced, he says conned. So which is it? Even he isn’t holding out much hope for them being released.
He’s being reported as saying “If their case was well pleaded they could be out in two and a half years,” That sound sound like the kind of actions that someone who is innocent will say.
They should have watched Bridget jones diary, my heart goes out to their parents, silly nieve, girls. 25 yrs if they are lucky and no knight in shining armour
Regardless of the verdict, both Irish and British governments should insist they be extradited back to their home countries to face penalties, they should not have to stay in an over-crowded Peruvian prison that may strip them of their basic human rights for the next 15-20 years.
Why not? If guilty they should face the justice of the juristiction that they committed the crime in. We’d expect no less if a foreigner committed a crime here.
If that was the case Gary the Irish girl would probably get a free lawyer, a 6 month suspended sentence and 3 penalty points on her licence and miss 200 euro when she passes Go!
You face the charges in the country you do the crime, it aint rocket science.
Look at Joran van der sloot. Murdered a peruvian politician’s daughter and is living large in jail.
Presume, the two girlswere, brought to Peru at gun point. Why did they not start screaming for help, when they got here to collect the drugs.
Its not Peru’s problem, that idiot gringo’s are getting high. The drugs were going out of Peru. In Peru, you see children dancing in the street for pennies. If these girls, can get shipped home. Eire and the UK, can give a 100 work visas.
Why, Gary? They did the crime in Peru, why should they come back to a cushy number in a UK or Irish prison?
Gary, when was the last time you heard of ANY foreign government insist any of their citizen’s are extradited back to their own country after being convicted here or a crime?
I’d love to know because i honestly haven’t heard of any.
They broke the laws over there, will be tried over there, therefore should serve the time over there.
Maybe you should do a check and see exactly what the Irish and Embassy actually do for citizens abroad before you comment.
Here’s a link to the British Embassy’s website link https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-embassy-dublin
If you’re too lazy to check it, here’s what they DON’T do
get you out of prison, prevent the local authorities from deporting you after your prison sentence, or interfere in criminal or civil court proceedings
help you enter a country, for example, if you do not have a visa or your passport is not valid, as we cannot interfere in another country’s immigration policy or procedures
give you legal advice, investigate crimes or carry out searches for missing people, although we can give you details of people who may be able to help you in these cases, such as English-speaking lawyers
get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people
pay any bills or give you money (in very exceptional circumstances we may lend you some money from public funds, which you will have to pay back)
make travel arrangements for you, or find you work or accommodation
make business arrangements on your behalf
Did they even get to see Machu Pichu?
I dunno but obviously someone was trying to get high
Isn’t everyone here shockin righteous! What they did was stupid naive and reckless I’m not sayin they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into but their 20 years old they don’t deserve to rot in a Peruvian jail for the rest of their life. I hope something can be done to shorten their sentence
They have broken the law in a country where.
Only 2 million people have access to clean drinking water, in the capital
millions of people, are sleeping in the cold, in the damp season.
People go to work, on old American school buses.
Children dance for coppers in the street.
Peru is improving but still has a way to go. They are very gentle on gringos. They need the tourist money. Imagine how 1950s Eire treated Yanks.
nobody actually knows the facts of this case everyone is actually making opinions based on very scant information. We know 2 very young girls were caught with drugs in a Peruvian airport that’s it. No one knows how they ended up in Peru, if they were forced to go there, were they being blackmailed threatened etc etc. everyone’s facts are coming from assumptions based on a tv show as far as I can see. Whatever the facts my opinion is that 2 20 year old Girls from environments that would not even close to prepare them for the horrors that await them in a 3rd world prison do not deserve to spend their lives rotting away I believe everyone bar rapists and murderers deserve a second chance.
They won’t rot in jail for the rest of their lives, Paul. Get real. They’ll get a sentence appropriate to the appalling crime they’ve committed, probably harsher than they’d have got here in Ireland or in the UK, but them’s the breaks. They knew what they were doing.
They knew what they were doing, thats an opinion untill the facts come out. They will probably get 3 to 5 years according to reports. That sounds fine and appropriate but would 2 you girls last that long in a 3rd world prison
If they were forced to go to Peru, why the hell didnt they get out of ibiza first they could have gotten out on any flight or go to the cops? They new the risks no such thing as easy money! And contrary to belief most of the cops aint corrupt was panorama investigation some time ago and they are trying to clean up the island
Holy Christ that’s unbelievable
At last a new ‘Banged up Abroad’ to watch in the future, Katie Price to play the Irish one
Living Peru, you keep getting sick. The bacteria, and water is just different. Peru’s jails have terrible sanitation. My wife visits people there. The Peruvians, are actually quite gentle when it comes to Gringos. Two girls from Iquitos, would have had the key thrown away. Joran Van der sloot, is quite comfortable for example ( Dutchman murdered, Sthefany flores) Yes, this is a Moron test. At Jorge Chavez airport, its iffy bringing in a second mobile phone. Peru regulates use of mobile phones quite strictly. Yes, its 900 pounds to fly from Peru to Madrid. IIRC there are no direct flights to Ibiza. Also, notice they blame columbians, not Bolivians or Argentines.. Who are equally connected with the drugs trade here.
7 years in a Peruvian prison is not be sniffed at.
Did you see the doc on bbc3 last night the english bloke had 1.5 on him he got 6 years do you really think they will get that? they are looking at 25+ for 11k between them. If they have a bad sol and judge
The judge has only power to give a max of 12 due to the constraints of the code of law he/she will be working with. It’s 6 – 12 for general trafficking if caught in Peru. They’ll not do the full 12 even if the judge sentences them to 12. So 7 max in my opinion.
scottish girl closes her eyes when she says “forced”… classic example of lie indentification….. she does it again at “i did not know that”
guilty
… I’ve just read the solicitor is saying the cost will be massive and the people of Dungannon should provide money for this!!
The more I hear about this the more it seems obvious they are guilty. They interviewed a bar man who had been approached by the same man(seemingly) but fled Madrid at the airport . There was no mention of guns or coercion in that interview. Just that he was from Essex, he was there with his partner, from London, and they were regulars on the nightclub scene.
The rhetoric in the article in todays Irish Mirror tries to paint a picture that is not backed up by the interview. When you read between the lines i.e. they barman doesn’t mention guns and coercion, which he would have had there been any. But then say he had a lucky escape when he “fled” Madrid.
Tone wise it tries to imply coercion and escape. But fact wise it reads he did it without coercion and legged it when it came time to do it. He also is referenced as saying “he almost did the same” and he was a friend on Melissa’s Facebook page!
“He almost did the same” sounds like he was offered the job and had a choice. Him(the suspected recruiter from Essex) being a friend on Melissa’s Facebook page, does not sound like the actions of someone who sets up people with drug gangs, who use death threats to get people to do this work.
Surely they would not find it difficult to get someone to do it for ten thousand pounds. Particularly on a party island know for it’s drug scene. or in Madrid, a big city, like our selves in a bad recession.
Why are journalists twisting the facts to imply innocence when they in fact imply the opposite?
That is all.
have your say