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British women face 'drug mule' charges in Peru

The case of two British women charged with smuggling cocaine out of Peru could become a diplomatic row like a similar case between Mexico and France.

By Sara Miller Llana, Staff writer
Paris

Two British women formally charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Peru face grim prison conditions for months, or even years, as they await trial.

But their plight could reach far beyond the fate of two individuals, if this turns into another 鈥淔lorence Cassez鈥 affair.

Ms. Cassez, a French woman accused of participating in a kidnapping ring in Mexico, languished for years in Mexican prison 鈥 an incident that turned into a major diplomatic row between France and Mexico.

Two narratives clashed:聽Was she聽the innocent victim of a corrupt system, or an opportunistic foreigner aggravating criminality and impunity abroad?

Cassez was convicted seven years ago in Mexico City with her Mexican boyfriend, who allegedly headed a gang responsible for a dozen kidnappings; Cassez, who was arrested at a ranch near Mexico City where many abductees were found, always claimed she had no idea what her聽boyfriend聽did, saying she thought he was a car salesman.聽聽

She was given 96 years in jail, later reduced to 60.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy lobbied for her release, calling her the victim of a corrupt and incompetent judicial system.

"We will not leave this young woman in prison for another 60 years,"聽Mr. Sarkozy said聽when her sentence was upheld in 2011. He聽then called for a year-long celebration of Mexican culture in 11 cities throughout France to be dedicated to Cassez鈥檚 fate; Mexico, in a fury,聽canceled the entire event, some 350 events in all.

Cassez聽was finally set free in January and was given a national welcome when she returned to French soil. French President Fran莽ois Hollande called for normalizing relations with Mexico.聽

鈥淚 want to recognize the Mexican justice system because it put the law first,鈥 Mr. Hollande said in a statement. 鈥淭hat was聽the trust we put in it. And today we can say that between France and Mexico, we have the best relations it is possible to have.鈥

But doubts, and rifts, linger. The Mexican Supreme Court decided three to two that Cassez should be released because procedural rules were聽violated,聽reported The Washington Post. That included police staging her arrest in 2005 for television crews.

But while the case showed deep flaws in Mexican justice, it didn鈥檛 answer the question of her innocence.

鈥淲e will never know whether Florence is guilty or innocent, but we know for certain there are specific people who violated due process,鈥 Luis Gonzalez Placencia, president of the Mexico City Human Rights Commission, told the Associated Press.

Now, two European women face years in another notoriously complex judicial system.

The BBC reports聽that Michaella McCollum, of Dungannon in Northern Ireland, and Melissa Reid, of Lenzie near Glasgow, are accused of trying to smuggle cocaine valued at $2.3 million out of Peru.

Their arrest comes as the drug trade between Latin America and Europe grows.

Lawyer Peter Madden, representing Ms. McCollum, said both women would plead not guilty.

According to the Irish Times, the two women were arrested Aug. 6 in Lima with 24 pounds of cocaine in their suitcases.

Already two different narratives are unfolding, just as they did in the Cassez case.

Mr. Madden, the lawyer, said the women were 鈥渃onfused and frightened.鈥 They claim they were threatened at gunpoint on the resort island of Ibiza, in Spain, where they were working. They say they were forced to smuggle the drugs to Peru, he said.

Spanish and Peruvian sources have doubted those claims,聽according to Global Post: