Father of Peru drug case woman Melissa Reid calls for Spanish probe
Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid face a maximum of 15 years in jail if convicted of drug smugglingThe father of one of two women from the UK held in Peru on drug smuggling charges has called on British and Spanish police to investigate the case.
Melissa Reid, of Lenzie, near Glasgow, and Michaella McCollum, of Dungannon in Northern Ireland, were caught with £1.5m of cocaine at Lima Airport.
Both claim they were forced into carrying the drugs.
Ms Reid's father, William, wants police to investigate how the women originally left Ibiza where they had been staying.
The women, both aged 20, have reportedly told the Peruvian authorities they were working in Ibiza and did not meet before they were both kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to travel to Majorca.
70soghuBMoj(ld!L!~~_7.JPG "merehazle"){kind=avatar}
Have you seen the latest ?
Like most you were right about at least one of them at the moment.
But she still maintains she travelled to South America 'under duress'
Yes she was still forced 
What was patently obvious has become the truth, with the exception of ''being forced to do it'' rubbish a very weak story with no foundation of truth. Who will believe this rubbish now.
Breath taking inconsistencies with these two. I suppose the other one is quite different 
Michaella McCollum from Dungannon and Scottish woman Melissa Reid, both 20, are being held on drug trafficking charges in the South American country.
A total of 24lb (11kg) of cocaine, with an estimated street value of £1.5m, was found hidden in food packets in their luggage while they tried to board a flight to Spain at Lima International Airport in August.
Both women maintain that they knew the drugs were in their bags - but that a gang forced them at gunpoint to carry the cocaine.
Peruvian counter narcotics prosecutor Luis Mendoza, in an interview with Sky News, suggested both women could plead guilty and qualify for a lighter sentence, which could be served in their home country.
He said: "The British citizens agree to the position of the Public Ministry, if they continue with their strategy they can go to trial.
Michaella McCollum Connolly from Dungannon and Melissa Reid from Scotland were arrested in August at a Lima airport.
The 20-year-olds pleaded guilty to drugs offences behind closed doors before a judge at Sarita Colonia prison on Tuesday.
They claimed they were held at gunpoint and threatened by a Columbian drugs gang to smuggle 24lb of cocaine - thought to be worth around £1.5m - which was found hidden inside food packages in their luggage as they attempted to board a flight to Spain.
But it has been revealed that the prosecution now wants a full admission that they made up the story about being kidnapped by a gang and forced to carry the drugs.
A judge was due to sentence the women on 1 October following their recent appearance.
If they stick to that unbelievable story the prosecution is not going to allow them the benefit of a guilty plea.
Prosecutor Juan Rosas
Prosecutor Juan Rosas said that he will ask for a new hearing to give the pair the chance to offer a more complete confession.
"The prosecution thinks the charges have not yet been completely embraced. They have simply accepted transporting drugs, but what has not yet been examined is their original version - that they were kidnapped or were transporting the drugs against their will," Mr Rosas said.
"As far as the prosecution is concerned, these citizens were never kidnapped, were never threatened or coerced.
@merehazle wrote:
They got lost when they agreed to smuggle in those drugs.
They got lost when they said a gun was held to their heads.
These gangsters were gentlemen too then? As they did not even touch them OTHERwise
As a last resort we must remember to say that a gun was held to our head ... JOB DONE!!!
Then after that incident they would have NO oppertunity to escape or say anything, or even leave a note in their cases, or at the airport toilet, (scribble a note on the toilet door) or anywhwere, a whisper in someone's ear even? No! infact nothing?
For some as most know they and many others are dealing out death here.
These gangsters
It's an interesting and rather skewed vision that the media have managed to propagate over the years. Alcohol kills many thousands more people a year than all hard drugs put together.
So if producers, traffickers, dealers and the like are 'dealers in death', shouldn't distillers, brewers, pubs, off-licences and supermarkets be called 'mass murderers'? Just a thought.
@pyrografica wrote:
@merehazle wrote:
They got lost when they agreed to smuggle in those drugs.
They got lost when they said a gun was held to their heads.
These gangsters were gentlemen too then? As they did not even touch them OTHERwise
As a last resort we must remember to say that a gun was held to our head ... JOB DONE!!!
Then after that incident they would have NO oppertunity to escape or say anything, or even leave a note in their cases, or at the airport toilet, (scribble a note on the toilet door) or anywhwere, a whisper in someone's ear even? No! infact nothing?
For some as most know they and many others are dealing out death here.
These gangsters
It's an interesting and rather skewed vision that the media have managed to propagate over the years. Alcohol kills many thousands more people a year than all hard drugs put together.
So if producers, traffickers, dealers and the like are 'dealers in death', shouldn't distillers, brewers, pubs, off-licences and supermarkets be called 'mass murderers'? Just a thought.
You forgot the cigs..
