Who were The Peru Two? What did Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid do?
Daily Star's Inside Hot TV newsletter sees Ed Gleave send you telly's hot takes straight to your inbox every Sunday Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Yes, keep me in the know! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  Tonight a BBC One series will delve deep into the story of The Peru Two. The five part series, High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule, will start tonight, and will examine the case of Michaella McCollum, "a teenager from Northern Ireland who formed a relationship with a drug trafficker during her first trip abroad in Ibiza". The BBC One synopsis continued: "He persuaded her to assist him in smuggling drugs for his cartel contacts, and just a few weeks later, she was arrested at Lima airport in Peru with more than a million pounds worth of cocaine in her suitcase." Here is everything you need to know about Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid. (Image: REUTERS)  Michaella McCollum from Dungannon, Northern Ireland was working as a part-time model and nightclub hostess in Ibiza at the time. Melissa Reid from Glasgow was a sales assistant back in Scotland. The pair had been travelled to Peru on August 15 and two days later were caught trying to smuggle 11kg of cocaine worth 1.5 million out of the country. The double act had concealed the class A drug inside porridge and jelly packets to help mask the smell and to hide the evidence of any suspicious behaviour. They were caught at Lima Airport before boarding a long-haul flight to Madrid, Spain by customs officers and were arrested. The girls claimed at the time they had been forced by an armed gang to carry the class A drugs. Headlines soon spread across the world after the arrest of the two girls at Lima Airport with later reports they were paid just 4,000 each to smuggle the 1.5 million worth of cocaine. Michaella and Melissa were in threat of long-term, 15-year imprisonment but managed to agree a behind-closed-doors plea bargain to obtain a shorter sentence. The Peru Two appeared in court where they both pleaded guilty and were sentenced in December 2013 to six years and eight months in prison. (Image: REUTERS)  They were taken to Virgen de Fatima prison in Lima but were later transferred to Ancon 2 prison with some reports stating they were in cells with 30 other prisoners. During their time in prison, they were both able to train in beauty therapy in an attempt to later become hairstylists on release. In 2016 both women were released and were able to return home. Michaella was released on 31 March 2016 after applying to be freed on parole after the initial prospect in remaining in Peru for up to six years. Melissa was later released on 21 June 2016 after the Peruvian authorities agreed to expel her from the country. Almost seven years later on release, Melissa confessed she knew what she was doing at the time of the crime. She said: "I made a conscious decision to do it and no one forced me.  Michaella also admitted she shouldnt have been tempted by payment of 4,000 and that she thought Peru was a Spanish town at the time. (Image: Reuters)  Since then Michaella has released a book sharing her drug smuggling crime and prison experience. Yes. Sort of. Absolutely. Why did I jeopardise everything and bring untold heartache to my adored family for a few easy quid?" It all began in 2013 when Michaella was working as a waitress in Ibiza where it was a regular occurrence to serve cocaine and ecstasy alongside the guest's drinks on the party island. At the time Michaella met dealer Davey, who reportedly approached her and asked if she wanted to do a drug run for him, transporting drugs from mainland Spain to the island of Ibiza. The proposal played on Michaellas mind after being offered what seemed like a large sum of money at the time for what he was asking her to do. When he asked her again Michaella agreed, wanting to earn more cash than what she was already on. In August 2013, Michaella met with Mateo, a Colombian friend of Davey, who told her she was in fact now heading to Peru, not Barcelona which had been the original plan. Leaving Ibiza Michaella flew to Majorca where she met the other member of the Peru two, Melissa who travelled in from Scotland. The pair travelled separately to Peru with a plan to meet in Lima a day later to visit some tourist spots such as Machu Picchu as a cover-up for their trip. Melissa received a phone call two days into the Peri trip telling her to take a large bag of cocaine outside to meet the dealer with. The cocaine was stashed in another bag Melissa provided, hidden in 31 sachets of porridge oats. Dividing the porridge oats between them, they packed them in their suitcases and headed to the airport at 6 am the next day. Arriving at Lima Airport the Peru two didnt make it far before police officers stopped and searched them after they were acting nervous and suspicious during check-in. (Image: michaella_mccollum/Instagram)  Five years later the pair have moved on but according to Michaella, they are still in touch with each other, as she said on Lorraine. Michaella, 26 is now a mother of twin boys and is no longer with the father, and is raising her sons herself. She told the Sun: "It's nothing something I planned, it's not how I envisioned things. "They are my children and I love them.  She also wrote and released the book Youll Never See Daylight Again expressing her all truth experience of life in prison and was offered 250,000 for the book. Melissa herself has stayed out of the limelight, keeping herself away and getting on with life after the ordeal the pair encountered.