The father of the Irish drug mule Michaella McCollum Connolly’s co-accused has pleaded with the women to tell the truth and plead guilty.
Billy Reid, whose daughter Melissa is locked up with Co. Tyrone hostess Michaella, 20, has said he doesn’t fully believe the girls story.
The two women were arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle cocaine worth over $2.5 million out of Peru. the pair were formally charged with the promotion of drug trafficking and were refused bail last week. The pair are currently locked up in Virgen de Fatima Prison in Lima.
Irish solicitor Peter Madden has said the two women intend to plead not guilty, as they claim they were coerced at gunpoint into taking part in the drug smuggling scam. He says there they were not offered any money at any stage. However Melissa Reid's father has said he is not fully convinced by the girls version of events.
Reid told the Daily Mail: “I’m still not 100 per cent about their story.”
“But two girls, who prior to Ibiza did not know each other, are telling a very similar story. They have been pretty consistent all along. Only those two girls know the truth.”
He has advised the two women to tell the truth, the hope they receive a shorter sentence.
Reid (53) said: “They should plead guilty. They should work with the authorities, tell them everything they know.
“God forbid, if it goes to trial, you have the prospect of receiving that 15-year sentence.
“It’s indefensible to say that they didn’t have drugs or know they had drugs. They did carry the drugs.”
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