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| Michaella McCollum: Peru drug smuggler tells of 'moment of madness' | Michaella McCollum: Peru drug smuggler tells of 'moment of madness' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A woman from County Tyrone who was sent to prison for drug smuggling in South America has said her decision was made in "my moment of madness". | A woman from County Tyrone who was sent to prison for drug smuggling in South America has said her decision was made in "my moment of madness". |
| Michaella McCollum, 22, was freed on parole in Peru this week after serving more than two years in jail. | Michaella McCollum, 22, was freed on parole in Peru this week after serving more than two years in jail. |
| She said that if the cocaine she was trying to take to Europe had reached its intended destination she could have had "a lot of blood on my hands". | She said that if the cocaine she was trying to take to Europe had reached its intended destination she could have had "a lot of blood on my hands". |
| "I could have caused a lot of harm to people," the Dungannon woman added. | "I could have caused a lot of harm to people," the Dungannon woman added. |
| Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid, from Lenzie, near Glasgow in Scotland, were caught with 11kg (24lb) of cocaine in their luggage at Lima airport in August 2013. | |
| They were trying to board a flight to Madrid in Spain. | They were trying to board a flight to Madrid in Spain. |
| Followed | Followed |
| McCollum told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ she had been "very naive, so young and very insecure" when she attempted to smuggle the cocaine. | McCollum told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ she had been "very naive, so young and very insecure" when she attempted to smuggle the cocaine. |
| "A lot of times I didn't know how to say no to somebody," she said. | "A lot of times I didn't know how to say no to somebody," she said. |
| "I kind of just followed along with it and I guess a part of me kind of wanted to be something I'm not. | "I kind of just followed along with it and I guess a part of me kind of wanted to be something I'm not. |
| "But, simply, I made a decision in my moment of madness." | "But, simply, I made a decision in my moment of madness." |
| She said she was "not a bad person" and wanted to demonstrate that by doing "something good". | She said she was "not a bad person" and wanted to demonstrate that by doing "something good". |
| She said she regretted the "harm that I've done and so much suffering" caused to her family. | She said she regretted the "harm that I've done and so much suffering" caused to her family. |
| Ruined | Ruined |
| She acknowledged that had she managed to transport the drugs to Spain she could have "caused destruction to society". | She acknowledged that had she managed to transport the drugs to Spain she could have "caused destruction to society". |
| "In my time here, I thought: 'What if the drugs had got back [to Europe]? What would've happened?' | "In my time here, I thought: 'What if the drugs had got back [to Europe]? What would've happened?' |
| "I probably would've had a lot of blood on my hands, the amount of families that would've ruined," she said. | "I probably would've had a lot of blood on my hands, the amount of families that would've ruined," she said. |
| "I could have potentially killed a lot of people, not directly but I could have caused a lot of harm to people." | "I could have potentially killed a lot of people, not directly but I could have caused a lot of harm to people." |
| McCollum and Reid initially claimed they had been kidnapped and forced to carry the drugs. | McCollum and Reid initially claimed they had been kidnapped and forced to carry the drugs. |
| But the pair later admitted trying to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5m from Peru to Spain and were jailed for six years and eight months. | But the pair later admitted trying to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5m from Peru to Spain and were jailed for six years and eight months. |
| She said that during her time in prison she had "forgotten the things that everybody takes for granted". | She said that during her time in prison she had "forgotten the things that everybody takes for granted". |
| "Seeing the sun, seeing the darkness, seeing the moon and the stars, things I haven't seen in almost three years," she said. | "Seeing the sun, seeing the darkness, seeing the moon and the stars, things I haven't seen in almost three years," she said. |
| Transfer | Transfer |
| McCollum was released on parole on Thursday night and her solicitor is waiting to hear the terms of her release. | McCollum was released on parole on Thursday night and her solicitor is waiting to hear the terms of her release. |
| Irish priest Father Maurice Foley who visited her in prison in Lima told BBC Northern Ireland's Good Morning Ulster that she had clearly changed. | |
| "She is a very good person; she made a very bad decision," he said. | |
| "The young woman that I met in Lima was 19 years of age... she was young, she was naive and she was very foolish," he said. | |
| "She is a changed woman. She is a person reformed." | |
| It is understood she will have to remain in the South American country for a considerable time under her parole conditions. | It is understood she will have to remain in the South American country for a considerable time under her parole conditions. |
| She was freed under new legislation on early prison release introduced in Peru last year, having served two years and three months. | She was freed under new legislation on early prison release introduced in Peru last year, having served two years and three months. |
| Reid remains in a Peruvian prison. She has been seeking to serve the remainder of her sentence closer to home in Scotland. | Reid remains in a Peruvian prison. She has been seeking to serve the remainder of her sentence closer to home in Scotland. |
| A transfer request for her was approved by the Scottish Prison Service in January 2015. | A transfer request for her was approved by the Scottish Prison Service in January 2015. |
| But it says any transfer would ultimately be for the Peruvian prison service to determine. | But it says any transfer would ultimately be for the Peruvian prison service to determine. |