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LIMA, Peru (AP) - A court in Peru has sentenced two British women to six years and eight months in prison each for trying to smuggle 24 pounds of cocaine to Spain in their luggage.
A lawyer for the women, Meyer Fishman, said Michaella McCollum of Northern Ireland and Melissa Reid of Scotland received the sentences Tuesday after taking advantage of an "early termination" process that brought reduced sentences in exchange for collaborating with authorities.
Prosecutors have said the women could have faced up to 15 years in prison.
Prosecutor Gustavo Carbajal said the court also ordered them to pay $3,500 in civil reparations.
The women were arrested on Aug. 6 at Lima's airport as they tried to board a flight for Madrid. McCollum was 20 and Reid 19 at the time.
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