Two women arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine worth €1.7m out of Peru have been refused bail and could spend up to three years in prison awaiting trial, it emerged last night.

Two women arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine worth €1.7m out of Peru have been formally charged, prosecutors have said.

An Irishwoman and her friend, arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine worth €1.7m from Peru could find out today if they are to be charged.

MICHAELLA McCollum-Connolly and Melissa Reid, caught with a total of 11kg of cocaine hidden in their luggage at Lima airport, may have so far underestimated the situation they are in. They could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison, and their claims of being forced into the crime will be scrutinised heavily.

The Archbishop of Lima has visited Michaella McCollum Connolly in jail in Peru.

The family of an Irish woman, facing up to 25 years in prison in Peru, have said they are very concerned for her well-being.