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| Drugs mule Melissa Reid released from Peru jail and flying back to UK | Drugs mule Melissa Reid released from Peru jail and flying back to UK |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A Scottish woman jailed in Peru for smuggling drugs has been released from prison and is flying back to the UK. | |
| Melissa Reid, 22, from Lenzie, near Glasgow, was arrested with Michaella McCollum, of Co Tyrone, after being caught with 24lb (11kg) of cocaine at Lima airport in 2013. | |
| They struck a plea deal for a reduced sentence of six years and eight months. | They struck a plea deal for a reduced sentence of six years and eight months. |
| Reid was expelled from Peru last month under an early release scheme. It is thought she is returning via Amsterdam. | |
| She arrived at Lima airport on Tuesday evening with her father, William. She was accompanied by British embassy staff, and taken through security by Peruvian immigration officers overseeing her deportation. | |
| McCollum, 23, was released at the end of March under parole conditions which mean that she has to remain in Peru for an undisclosed period of time. | McCollum, 23, was released at the end of March under parole conditions which mean that she has to remain in Peru for an undisclosed period of time. |
| Reid has served about a third of her sentence and under Peruvian law was eligible to be deported according to the early release scheme for foreign prisoners. | |
| She has also paid a fine of 10,000 Peruvian soles, just over £2,000. | She has also paid a fine of 10,000 Peruvian soles, just over £2,000. |
| A spokeswoman for Peru's prison service, Janeth Sanchez, said Reid "served her time in prison according to the law and can now go to her country, free". | |
| A Scottish Prison Service spokeswoman confirmed it was not involved with Reid's case. | |
| Hidden in food packets | |
| Both Reid and McCollum were caught with an estimated £1.5m-worth of cocaine at Lima airport on 6 August 2013 while attempting to board a flight to Madrid, in Spain. | |
| The cocaine was discovered in food packets hidden inside their luggage. | The cocaine was discovered in food packets hidden inside their luggage. |
| They had initially claimed they were forced to carry the drugs, but pleaded guilty to charges later that year. | They had initially claimed they were forced to carry the drugs, but pleaded guilty to charges later that year. |
| They had faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a behind closed doors plea bargain to secure a shorter sentence. | They had faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a behind closed doors plea bargain to secure a shorter sentence. |
| Following her release, McCollum told the Irish broadcaster RTE she had been "very naive, so young and very insecure". | Following her release, McCollum told the Irish broadcaster RTE she had been "very naive, so young and very insecure". |
| Reid's father Billy has previously said the impact of his daughter's imprisonment on his family had been "horrendous". | Reid's father Billy has previously said the impact of his daughter's imprisonment on his family had been "horrendous". |
| A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We continue to provide assistance to Melissa Reid and remain in contact with her family and local authorities." | A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We continue to provide assistance to Melissa Reid and remain in contact with her family and local authorities." |