22/08/2013

Two Women Charged With Drug Trafficking Refused Bail

The two British women caught with £1.5m of cocaine have been refused bail.

Michaella McCollum Connelly from Dungannon and Melissa Reid from Glasgow, both 20, were remanded in custody by a judge on Wednesday.

They have been charged with the promotion of drug trafficking.

The pair may have to wait up to three years for their trial to begin if they pleaded not guilty. They face a maximum of 15 years behind bars if convicted.

The women are claiming they were forced to carry the drugs by armed men, who threatened their family members.

The judge is expected to decide which jail the women will be sent to in the next 24 hours.

(CD/JP)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

17 February 2004
UK sees 20% increase in multiple births over 10 years
Mothers are having 20% more multiple births than they were a decade ago, according to figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Statistics have revealed that in 2002, the multiple birth rate was 15 per 1,000 women giving birth, compared with 12.5 in 1992.
21 August 2013
UK Women Officially Charged With Drug Trafficking
Two women suspected of trying to smuggle 11kg of cocaine out of Peru have been officially charged after two weeks in custody. Melissa Reid from Lenzie near Glasgow and Michaella McCollum, of Dungannon in Northern Ireland, were found to have cocaine with an estimated street value of £1.
01 June 2012
Three Jailed For Turkish Social Club Arson Attack
Three women were jailed for a combined total of 19 years and four months at court on Wednesday, 30 May 2012 over an arson attack on a Turkish social club in north London, deemed by the judge to be politically and racially motivated.
11 March 2004
Scheme launched to reduce population of women in custody
A three-year government programme has been unveiled today which has been designed to tackle women's offending and reduce the number of women in prison.
15 November 2007
Women 'Do Not Exercise Enough'
British women are not exercising enough, according to new research. According to research published by the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF), more than 80% of women are not exercising enough to benefit their health.