Peru accused taken to court to find out if they will be charged

Two women arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine from Peru are thought to have been taken to the District Prosecutor in Lima.

Two women accused of trying to smuggle €1.7m worth of cocaine out of Peru have arrived in court where they will soon find out if they are to be charged.

Michaella McCollum from Co Tyrone and Melissa Reid from Scotland were caught while trying to board a flight two weeks ago.

The two suspected drug mules made international headlines when they were arrested earlier this month.

Police claim they found 11kg of cocaine hidden inside food packages in their luggage as they tried to board a flight from Lima to Madrid.

Since their arrest, officers have been preparing a file for Peru’s public prosecutor who will ultimately decide whether charges should be brought.

The women, both aged 20, have been brought from their holding cell to court and will soon learn their fate.

Both say they were forced to carry the drugs by drug traffickers in Peru.

Yesterday, CCTV emerged which police officers say show Michaella walking freely around Lima on a day she claims she was being held at gunpoint.

Her lawyer has dismissed these claims as totally false.

If charges are brought today, the two accused would be moved to Santa Monica, a notorious women's prison with a "ferocious reputation", while they await trial.