Peru drug smuggling case - READ OP BEFORE POSTING

DEFTLEFTHAND

Somebody earlier in the thread mentioned about the folks they were "muling" for. Remember they've taken a loss over this. In a world where money is everything and morals don't exist this could impact on their families. In other cases where mules were caught gangs held them directly responsible and looked for the value of the product from them or their family.

Can you imagine being a parent of one of these girls and going through all this sh1t and then owing money to a bunch of lowlife gangsters.

Idbatterim

if she is extradited and serves her time here in northern ireland or wherever, I take it the the British tax payer picks up the tab?

Idbatterim

Idbatterim wrote: »

if she is extradited and serves her time here in northern ireland or wherever, I take it the the British tax payer picks up the tab?

Well, if she's an Irish citizen then officially she should be in prison in Ireland with the Irish taxpayer picking up the tab.

I bet she will end up in NI, though, with Britain paying.

Allyall

I followed this thread originally because i could not believe that people thought they were innocent.

Now, I no longer care.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Galwayguy35

Brooklynn Square Scalp wrote: »

Well, if she's an Irish citizen then officially she should be in prison in Ireland with the Irish taxpayer picking up the tab.

I bet she will end up in NI, though, with Britain paying.

I really dont see why either the Irish or British taxpayer should pick up any tab, they were caught over there so they should serve whatever sentence they get over there.

osarusan

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

I really dont see why either the Irish or British taxpayer should pick up any tab, they were caught over there so they should serve whatever sentence they get over there.

I would guess that the Peruvians would prefer to save money by having these kind of prisoners serve their time elsewhere.

It might be a price that other countries are willing to pay to ensure Peru's efforts to keep drugs out of those countries.

guttenberg

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

I really dont see why either the Irish or British taxpayer should pick up any tab, they were caught over there so they should serve whatever sentence they get over there.

To flip the coin, if tourists were caught doing something illegal here, would you be against giving them the option of getting transferred back to do the time in their own country? presumably it'd be more stressful in prison when you have no familial contact/support nearby.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Fred Swanson

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

It doesn't really matter what you want. When you travel on a passport from a certain country, you're declaring yourself a citizen of that country. I purposely travel on my British passport to certain countries to make sure I'd be entitled to avail of any help available there (embassies etc) if the Irish equivalents aren't as good or are non-existent.

I'd be very surprised if Michaella, living in Co. Tyrone since she was 8, couldn't have got herself a British passport if she'd wanted to.

Galwayguy35

guttenberg wrote: »

To flip the coin, if tourists were caught doing something illegal here, would you be against giving them the option of getting transferred back to do the time in their own country? presumably it'd be more stressful in prison when you have no familial contact/support nearby.

I wouldnt be too bothered about their stress levels TBH.

Cunning Stunt

RTE confirm Michaella is pleading guilty along with Melissa ''to simplify the courts process''

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0924/476053-michaella-mccollum-melissa-reid/

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Brooklynn Square Scalp wrote: »

Well, if she's an Irish citizen then officially she should be in prison in Ireland with the Irish taxpayer picking up the tab.

I bet she will end up in NI, though, with Britain paying.

I doubt it, she is an Irish citizen travelling on an Irish passport.
Being born in Monaghan I doubt if she is even entitled to UK citizenship (unless her Mother or Father are from the UK).

Menas

Big day for them today, in front of the courts and a guilty plea. I wonder did michealla do a deal as melissa claims to have done?

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/michaella-to-plead-guilty-on-drug-charge-29604230.html

guttenberg

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

I wouldnt be too bothered about their stress levels TBH.

If you don't care for prisoners mental health issues, what happens when ever they are released? you still didn't answer my question, if a foreigner commits a crime in Ireland, would you allow them the option of transferring back to their home country to complete their sentence, saving taxpayers the money needed to imprison them here?

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

weldoninhio

guttenberg wrote: »

If you don't care for prisoners mental health issues, what happens when ever they are released? you still didn't answer my question, if a foreigner commits a crime in Ireland, would you allow them the option of transferring back to their home country to complete their sentence, saving taxpayers the money needed to imprison them here?

If a foreigner commits a crime here i think they should have to complete their sentence and then be kicked out and banned as soon as their time is served. As for stress, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

Chris Dolmeth

weldoninhio wrote: »

If a foreigner commits a crime here i think they should have to complete their sentence and then be kicked out and banned as soon as their time is served. As for stress, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

Personally, I'd be quite happy for the persons country of nationality pick up the tab for the years of detention.
I'd imagine prison life to be pretty stressful even in the relative luxury of the 'Joy compared to some latin-american prison.

Ash.J.Williams

the joy is a hell hole by any standards!

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Allyall

Trial starts today..

'Peru two' to both admit guilt in plea bargaining bid
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/peru-two-to-both-admit-guilt-in-plea-bargaining-bid-607958.html

The Monaghan-born woman arrested on drugs charges in South America is expected to change her plea to guilty later today.

21-year-old Michaella McCollum was detained at an airport in Peru last month along with 19-year-old Melissa Reid from Scotland.

They were trying to board a flight a flight to Spain with 11 kilos of cocaine in their luggage.

The prosecutor handling their case said that they face a minimum of six years in prison if they plead guilty and a further sentence reduction may be possible if the women co-operated as witnesses against others.

Henry McDonald - Ireland Correspondent for Guardian & The Observer - said that Michaella was initially insistent that she would contest the charges.

"Suddenly we have now an admission of guilt to plea a more lenient sentence," he said.

"But I think it has been on the cards since her co-accused Melissa Reid from Glasgow pleaded guilty earlier this month as part of plea bargaining to get a lesser sentence which Peruvian authorities tend to go for in relation to alleged drug mules

"So this is a u-turn ion her part"

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/video-trial-of-peru-drug-suspects-to-start-today-1.1538240

The trial of two women being held in Peru on suspicion of trying to smuggle cocaine worth €1.7 million out of the country is due to start today.

Michaella McCollum Connolly (20) from Dungannon, Co Tyrone and Melissa Reid (20) from Glasgow have been held in custody in the capital Lima since they were stopped with 24lb of cocaine hidden in food packets in their luggage while trying to board a flight to Spain last month.

Ms Reid and Ms McCollum have claimed they were forced to carry the drugs by an armed gang who threatened them and their family members.

Relatives for Ms Reid expect that she will plead guilty to the charges in a bid to receive a lower sentence.

Galwayguy35

guttenberg wrote: »

If you don't care for prisoners mental health issues, what happens when ever they are released? you still didn't answer my question, if a foreigner commits a crime in Ireland, would you allow them the option of transferring back to their home country to complete their sentence, saving taxpayers the money needed to imprison them here?

Let them complete their sentence here and and then kick them out of the country.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

I am pie

I wonder is it as simple as owning up and getting shipped up the women's wings of the joy/barlinnie. I took it from some of the press clippings that they had to cooperate a little bit in terms of naming or identifying suppliers.

chopper6

They didnt admit guilt initially and insisted on runing with thier pack of lies...hopefully this about face will be ignored and a proper example made of them to stop similarly minded idiots trying the same thing.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

keith16

chopper6 wrote: »

They didnt admit guilt initially and insisted on runing with thier pack of lies...hopefully this about face will be ignored and a proper example made of them to stop similarly minded idiots trying the same thing.

That's the thing...it seems like they are only changing their plea in the hopes of getting a shorter sentence:

"From what they understand from their lawyer is that if they plead guilty automatically the number of years that they serve would be less.

I think that only works if they actually admit their guilt and show remorse and say, yes it was all lies we are genuinely sorry, rather than what appears to be "k can you guys hurry up please, yeah we plead guilty....can we go now"

Kidchameleon

keith16 wrote: »

"k can you guys hurry up please, yeah we plead guilty....can we go now"

The Peruvian system is set up to make people plead guilty . Even if you are innocent, you are better off pleading guilty.

chopper6

Kidchameleon wrote: »

The Peruvian system is set up to make people plead guilty . Even if you are innocent, you are better off pleading guilty.

Yes but being caught red handed with large quantities of drugs would tend to imply that they're not,in fact innocent.

Henlars67

I think it's sad that they had to be untrue to themselves and plead guilty, rather than take the risk of being put at the mercy of a judge or jury with an agenda.

Hope they get a short sentence now.

thalia_13

Still looking smug and smirking in clips. Daft silly girls with no real remorse evident

AudreyHepburn

Zero sympathy for these two.

They made their choices, and stupid choices at that, so now they must live with the consequences.

I really wouldn't give them the satisfaction of worrying about stress levels or jail conditions.

Perhaps they should have though of those things themselves before they decided to become drug mules.

Menas

MonaPizza wrote: »

Look up "complete fuckin guesswork and conjecture" in the dictionary and this sentence will be printed.

Care to retract that in light of today's events?

Ash.J.Williams

Kidchameleon wrote: »

The Peruvian system is set up to make people plead guilty . Even if you are innocent, you are better off pleading guilty.

Innocent would mean walking into the airport up to a cop and telling them you were coerced into carrying drugs.

greenflash

Henlars67 wrote: »

I think it's sad that they had to be untrue to themselves and plead guilty, rather than take the risk of being put at the mercy of a judge or jury with an agenda.

Hope they get a short sentence now.

Say what? The agenda of the legal system in Peru is probably one of stopping their country being seen as a handy supply base for the European and American coke traffickers.

I do not believe for a second the girls were forced into anything. My take on it is they went to Ibiza to get off their faces, ran out of money and were offered the opportunity to earn enough to keep them in lines and yokes for the rest of the summer. I reckon they were told Peru is a backwater with little to worry about security-wise and they'd breeze back to Spain and the party would be waiting for then when they landed.

I do feel sorry for them having to live with their own stupidity, they couldn't even get duped by a top drugs gang. The Peruvians took the p1ss by loading them up with cut coke. They've no respect for Peru or its laws or people and fully deserve to be made an example of by the Peruvian courts while they're still getting the attention they crave.

I do feel genuinely sorry for both their families for having such nasty little lying scrotes as daughters.

drunkmonkey

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Care to retract that in light of today's events?

What happened?

Stheno

drunkmonkey wrote: »

What happened?

They both pled guilty

qapmoc

Chris Dolmeth wrote: »

Personally, I'd be quite happy for the persons country of nationality pick up the tab for the years of detention.

neither her or her family ever paid tax in this country : I hope the taxpayer here does not have to pick up the tab for their crime.

Paddy Cow

Henlars67 wrote: »

I think it's sad that they had to be untrue to themselves and plead guilty, rather than take the risk of being put at the mercy of a judge or jury with an agenda.

Hope they get a short sentence now.

You really believe they were kidnapped and forced at gunpoint half way around the world to smuggle cocaine against their will? I hope if I'm ever accused of a crime you are on the jury :P

Menas

qapmoc wrote: »

neither her or her family ever paid tax in this country : I hope the taxpayer here does not have to pick up the tab for their crime.

That is not true. Her dad was in the irish army for years. Do the irish army not pay tax?

Kidchameleon

I would have done exactly what they done, plead guilty. Doesent necessarily mean they are.

Menas

Kidchameleon wrote: »

I would have done exactly what they done, plead guilty. Doesent necessarily mean they are.

What more do you need?

1) They were caught with 11kg of coke in their bags attempting to get on a plane.
2) They had a cock and bull story that no one believes not least because there are pictures of them having a good time and posing with a police man and walking in Lima on their own.
3)Their cock and bull story goes completely against the modus operandi of the smugglers. Why kidnap someone and force them to smuggle when you could just keep using stupid people by promising them cash as has been done for the last 30 years?
3) They have pleaded guilty to smuggling.

And you still believe they may be innocent? Tell me why?

Chris Dolmeth

Kidchameleon wrote: »

I would have done exactly what they done, plead guilty. Doesent necessarily mean they are.

Having 11Kg of cocaine in your luggage at the airport on the way out of the country doesn't necesarily mean you were smuggling either, I suppose

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Grandpa Hassan

Kidchameleon wrote: »

I would have done exactly what they done, plead guilty. Doesent necessarily mean they are.

140 drug mules have been arrested this year in Peru according to a BBC radio report that I was listening to yesterday, and the authorities believe 10 times that number get through. It is now the method of choice for shifting large shipments (rather than boats, submarines etc), as the dealers can keep their hands very clean, they accept losing 10% for the 90% that always get through, and there are an unlimited number of willing mules. As much as people might like to believe that this is a special case, and that the girls were co-erced at gunpoint, the massive balance of probablity is that they were doing exactly the same as the other 138 that were arrested, or the 1,500 that weren't. Or do people believe that all of these were co-erced at gunpoint!? The Peruvians think that they are no different....it just happens that many people have their Irish green tinted spectacles on, and making out that these two are different to all the rest because, sure, a nice Irish lass wouldn't do that

personally I would not lose any sleep if their comments about only pleading guilty to reduce their sentence, and not actually because they are guilty, come back to bite them in the a** when the judge sees it for what it is, and they don't get as lenient a sentence as they are hoping for

MonaPizza

Trigger Happy wrote: »

What more do you need?

1) They were caught with 11kg of coke in their bags attempting to get on a plane.
2) They had a cock and bull story that no one believes not least because there are pictures of them having a good time and posing with a police man and walking in Lima on their own.
3)Their cock and bull story goes completely against the modus operandi of the smugglers. Why kidnap someone and force them to smuggle when you could just keep using stupid people by promising them cash as has been done for the last 30 years?
3) They have pleaded guilty to smuggling.

And you still believe they may be innocent? Tell me why?

You can't seem to get it into your damn head that NOBODY is saying that they are innocent. Why do you keep suggesting that people are saying so?

They have pleaded guilty because they were given no choice.

If a guy confesses to something after torture and somebody expresses concern about the veracity of such a confession are you going to come out and say "how can you believe he's not guilty?? He confessed!"

kylith

MonaPizza wrote: »

You can't seem to get it into your damn head that NOBODY is saying that they are innocent. Why do you keep suggesting that people are saying so?

They have pleaded guilty because they were given no choice.

If a guy confesses to something after torture and somebody expresses concern about the veracity of such a confession are you going to come out and say "how can you believe he's not guilty?? He confessed!"

Saying that the only pleaded guilty because they had no choice does suggest that you don't think they are guilty.

Are you suggesting that they were tortured into giving this confession?

Grandpa Hassan

MonaPizza wrote: »

You can't seem to get it into your damn head that NOBODY is saying that they are innocent. Why do you keep suggesting that people are saying so?

They have pleaded guilty because they were given no choice.

If a guy confesses to something after torture and somebody expresses concern about the veracity of such a confession are you going to come out and say "how can you believe he's not guilty?? He confessed!"

PLeading guilty with a caveat that you are only pleading guilty to reduce your sentence, is not the same as pleading guilty because you acknowledge that you actually did it.

I think they (and their families) were fools to say what they did, as they might not get as lenient a sentence as if they just 'fessed up without saying the extra bit that implies that they actually didn't do it!

MonaPizza

Grandpa Hassan wrote: »

140 drug mules have been arrested this year in Peru according to a BBC radio report that I was listening to yesterday, and the authorities believe 10 times that number get through. It is now the method of choice for shifting large shipments (rather than boats, submarines etc), as the dealers can keep their hands very clean, they accept losing 10% for the 90% that always get through, and there are an unlimited number of willing mules. As much as people might like to believe that this is a special case, and that the girls were co-erced at gunpoint, the massive balance of probablity is that they were doing exactly the same as the other 138 that were arrested, or the 1,500 that weren't. Or do people believe that all of these were co-erced at gunpoint!? The Peruvians think that they are no different....it just happens that many people have their Irish green tinted spectacles on, and making out that these two are different to all the rest because, sure, a nice Irish lass wouldn't do that

personally I would not lose any sleep if their comments about only pleading guilty to reduce their sentence, and not actually because they are guilty, come back to bite them in the a** when the judge sees it for what it is, and they don't get as lenient a sentence as they are hoping for

I agree with you. But my problem lies with those who seem to have no qualms about declaring someone guilty without a trial.
As for 90% getting through...this strikes me as a very high figure. Maybe it is true but a sniffer dog or a few of them could detect every mule. If every single piece of luggage has to go through a scanner/metal detector then having every bag given a quick sniff by the pooch isn't going to cause any delays. The stuff gets through because it's allowed to get through.
If 90% of mules can get on a play undetected then 90 out of 100 bombers could also.