An Irish woman imprisoned in Peru on charges of smuggling cocaine from Lima to Madrid has been released.
Michaella McCollum from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, and Scottish woman Melissa Reid were imprisoned in 2013 for six years and eight months after admitting trying to smuggle cocaine worth around €1.8m to Spain.
McCollum is being freed under new legislation which allows for the release of foreign inmates who have served a third of their sentence.
A court will decide later whether she can return to Northern Ireland immediately or whether she will have to spend more time in Peru.
Kevin Winters, McCollum's solicitor, said she was released effectively on parole last night and was waiting to hear the terms of her release.
"I can confirm Michaella has been released from jail and I'm waiting to hear the outcome of the judicial process," he told
Mr Winters had described the conditions of the women's detention as horrendous.
Last year, Stormont Justice Minister David Ford approved an application for the repatriation of McCollum on a number of issues, including the difficulty encountered in maintaining family contact.
McCollum and Reid were caught with the haul at Lima airport on 6 August 2013.
They had claimed they were forced into carrying the drugs but pleaded guilty to charges later that year.
McCollum and Reid faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a behind-closed-doors plea bargain to secure a shorter sentence.
The pair had previously been held at Lima's Virgen de Fatima prison but were moved to the Ancon 2 prison, where McCollum reportedly shared a cell with 30 other prisoners with extremely poor sanitation and toilet facilities.
McCollum was released from prison at 5pm yesterday following a successful application for parole, Mr Winters said.
The solicitor stressed she was not freed under any repatriation scheme or other protocol between Peru and the UK and that a pending judicial hearing would determine the conditions of her parole.
"At this stage it remains unclear when Michaella may be eligible to return home," he added.
That will be a matter for the court and a pending judicial hearing to determine the conditions of her parole.
"We are working with her lawyers in Peru and hope to be in a position to clarify further, as soon as possible," added Mr Winters.
