coming home: Peru drugs mule Melissa Reid released from jail and heading back to UK

Smile . . . Melissa Reid at Lima airport before she boards her flight home

Melissa Reid is escorted by immigration officers before boarding a flight

The 22-year-old was jailed for six years for her part in a £1.5million drug smuggling plot with Michaella McCollum. British drugs smuggler Melissa Reid has been released from prison in Peru tonight and put on a plane back to the UK.

Melissa Reid, of Britain, walks next to her father William Reid, before boarding a flight in Lima, Peru

The Scot has served three years of her six year jail sentence in Ancon 2 jail in Lima.

Melissa Reid is going home

Homeward bound . . . Reid is free after serving less than half of her sentence

The 22-year-old smiled as she arrived at Lima Airport on Tuesday evening with her father, Billy, and British embassy staff, before being whisked through security by Peruvian officials overseeing her deportation.

Jailed British drug mule Melissa Reid is seen for the first time in almost 3 years as it appears she may be set for early release from a Peruvian jail

It is believed she will fly via Amsterdam before arriving in back in the UK. Once home, Reid will be free.
Authorities in Peru made the decision to expel her from the country at a hearing last month.

The girls were sentenced to more than eight years in prison

A judge granted Reid's expulsion in May under an early release scheme for deporting first-time drug offenders. Janeth Sanchez, a spokeswoman for Peru's prison service, said on Tuesday that the Scot had "served her time in prison according to the law and can now go to her country, free, to the streets".

Reid was jailed for attempting to smuggle cocaine on a flight to Spain in 2013

Reid then faced a wait of up to 20 days to allow for the full release process to be completed. Reid, from Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, was caught with 23-year-old Michaella McCollum, from Dungannon, Co

Tyrone, trying to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5 million in mayonnaise bags from Peru to Spain in 2013. The pair - nicknamed the "Peru Two" - were jailed for six years and eight months after admitting the offence.

At the time Melissa’s father Billy, 55, said that his daughter’s “prayers had been answered.” He added: “She regrets the predicament she finds herself in, is apologetic for her actions, and wants to show that she can be a credit to her family and make things right.”

He has previously spoken out about how the impact of his daughter's crime has had a "horrendous" impact on the family. He was also involved in a video warning of the consequences of trafficking drugs overseas.