British teenage girl arrested in Peru after ‘being caught smuggling cocaine worth £1.5million’

Melissa Reid, 19, was held at an airport in Lima with Irish national Michaella McCollum Connolly, 20, as they tried to board a plane bound for Spain

A British teenager been arrested in Peru after she was allegedly caught trying to smuggle £1.5million worth of cocaine, according to reports.

Melissa Reid, 19, was held at an airport in Lima with Irish national Michaella McCollum Connolly, 20, as they tried to board a plane bound for Spain.

Police say the women were found to have more than 11kg of cocaine between them with a potential street value of £1.5millon, the Irish Independent reported.

They are now being held in a South American prison after being intercepted as they tried to travel to Madrid, where they were due to catch a connecting flight to Majorca.

Details of the arrests were published on the official website of the National Police of Peru on Wednesday.

The pair were held by drug enforcement officers at an Air Europa counter at Jorge Chavez International Airport on Tuesday.

In a statement, police claim the women were found to have 11kg 590g of cocaine after their bags were searched by DIRANRO officer, Peru’s Anti-Drug Bureau.

Ms Reid was allegedly found to have 18 packets containing an edible product of cocaine alkaloid weighing 5.780kg.

Ms McCollum Connolly is suspected of carrying 16 envelopes containing an edible product of cocaine alkaloid weighing 5.810kg in her luggage.

The 20-year-old, from Belfast, was reported missing by her family after not hearing from her for 12 days.

An online campaign was launched to try and find the nightclub hostess, who had been working in Ibiza.