Peru drug suspects face 18 years
Peruvian prosecutors have warned that a British and an Irish woman charged with trying to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5 million out of the country could face up to 18 years in jail if they are convicted.
British woman 'forced to carry drug luggage'
Police in Peru have released footage of British teenager Melissa Reid and her Irish friend Michaella McCollum Connolly being questioned at Lima airport as they attempted to board a flight to Spain.
Police said they found 12kg of cocaine stashed inside their luggage. Both women said they were planning to fly to Madrid, and then Majorca. Ms Reid told a police interrogator:
"I was forced to take these bags in my luggage."
Asked if she knew the bags contained drugs, she said: "I did not know that."
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British and Irish women held in Peru appear in court
Melissa Reid and Michaela McCollum appeared in court in Lima, but it is unclear whether they have been charged, their lawyer said.
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What the Peru drug accused may face in prison
Two women accused of smuggling 12kg of cocaine into Peru could face up to three years in custody and a maximum of 25 years in prison.
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Peru drug accused 'were smuggling for our lives'
A British woman accused of drug trafficking in Peru said she and her friend "were not smuggling for money, we were smuggling for our lives."