Peru judge orders expulsion of drugs mule Melissa Reid
A judge in Peru has granted an order expelling Scottish drugs mule Melissa Reid from the country.
The 22-year-old, from Lenzie, near Glasgow, and Michaella McCollum, from Co Tyrone, were jailed in 2013 for attempting to smuggle cocaine to Spain.
The Foreign Office confirmed Reid's expulsion.
It is understood she may not be able to go home until later this week as the Peruvian prosecutor has three working days to contest the judge's ruling.
Reid has served about a third of her sentence of six years and eight months.
As a result, under Peruvian law she is eligible to be deported. She has also paid a fine of 10,000 Peruvian soles, just over £2,000.
A statement from the judge, Ana Zapata Huertas, said Reid had repented of the crime she had committed and declared her intention never to commit such a crime again.
A Foreign Office spokesman person said: "We can confirm that Melissa Reid has been granted expulsion from Peru. We remain in contact with Melissa, her family and local authorities."
McCollum, 23, was freed last month after serving two years and three months in prison.
However, it is anticipated she will have to remain in Peru for a considerable period as part of her parole conditions.
McCollum and Reid were caught with an estimated £1.5m of cocaine at Lima airport on 6 August 2013 while attempting to board a flight to Madrid, in Spain.
The pair were caught with 24lb (11kg) of cocaine in food packets hidden inside their luggage.
They had claimed they were forced to carry the drugs, but pleaded guilty to charges later that year.
They had faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a behind-closed-doors plea bargain to secure a shorter sentence.
Following her release, McCollum told Irish state broadcaster RTE she had been "very naive, so young and very insecure".
"A lot of times I didn't know how to say no to somebody," she said.
"I kind of just followed along with it and I guess a part of me kind of wanted to be something I'm not.
"But, simply, I made a decision in my moment of madness."
Reid's father Billy has previously said the impact of his daughter's imprisonment on his family had been "horrendous".
He said: "It's horrendous to see your daughter in handcuffs and the living conditions that she has to put up with.
"Melissa has spent her own 20th and 21st birthdays in prison in Peru."