‘The TRUTH behind Peru’: Ex-drug mule Michaella McCollum is snapped clutching papers with ‘potential titles’ for her ‘tell-all book’ – after reportedly being offered a £250k publishing deal
- Michaella McCollum was spotted jotting down notes in a Belfast park today
- A close-up shot of the pages show the phrases ‘potential titles’ and ‘Ibiza to Peru’
- Scribbles suggest McCollum might be penning her much-rumoured tell-all book
- The former jailbird was reportedly offered a £250,000 deal for her memoirs
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Peru Two drug mule Michaella McCollum looks set to share her side of the story in a new tell-all book.
The former jailbird was snapped carrying papers scribbled with ‘potential titles’ as she worked outside on a park bench in Belfast on Thursday.
The mother-of-two, who welcomed twin sons in May, is apparently in the planning stages of a memoir, with the phrases ‘the truth behind Peru’, ‘Ibiza to Peru’ and ‘Michaella McCollum’s story’ all jotted down on the sheet.
Hard at work: Former jailbird Michaella McCollum was working outside on a park bench in Belfast on Thursday, pictured
Next bestseller? The Peru Two drug mule was snapped carrying papers scribbled with ‘potential titles’
Brainstorming The phrases ‘the truth behind Peru’, ‘Ibiza to Peru’ and ‘Michaella McCollum’s story’ were all jotted down on the sheet
It comes months after rumours first emerged that McCollum and been offered a £250,000 publishing deal to pen her version of the events that led to her being arrested with Melissa Reid in Lima airport in August 2013.
While little has been heard of the memoir, it appears the writing is now underway.
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Dressed in jeans, a leather jacket and thigh high boots, McCollum was seen typing on a laptop while working on a bench.
She was seen picking up a small pile of papers – topped with the ‘book titles’ note – before striding off into the park, handbag in tow.
Working remotely: McCollum on the park bench today. It comes months after rumours first emerged that McCollum and been offered a £250,000 publishing deal
Deep in concentration: The mother-of-two pulled her hair back as she read over her work
Packing up: McCollum was seen putting away her laptop and papers after the writing session
Plenty to write about: The former drug mule is understood to be penning a tell-all memoir
Hands-on mother McCollum is often seen with her six-month-old sons Rio and Raphael, however she left the twins at home as she headed out for some quality work time today.
McCollum made headlines in 2013 when she was arrested in Peru alongside Melissa Reid.
The pair had travelled to the country from Ibiza, where they had been employed by a drug-dealing gang to smuggle cocaine £1.5million worth of cocaine across the world.
Her side of the story: McCollum, who was arrested in 2013, could shed light on the global story
Early stages: The writing on McCollum’s paper suggest she still has some way to go before the book is published
They were caught arriving at Lima airport and sentenced to six years and eight months inside a grim jail in the Peruvian capital.
However, they were released after serving three years, with McCollum returning to Northern Ireland in June 2016.
Since her release from prison, McCollum has become something of a public figure, attending events and escaping the chilly British weather on a string of sun-kissed holidays last summer.
By contrast her former accomplice Reid landed a charity job at Citizens Advice after she was released from jail in South America in June 2016.
Woman on the go: Clutching a coffee, McCollum headed home from the park in Belfast
Deep in thought: The mother-of-two appeared pensive as she made her way home
WHO ARE THE PERU TWO?
Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum Connolly were arrested in August 2013 for attempting to smuggle £1.5million (€1.75 million) worth of cocaine out of Peru.
In June 2013, McCollum had travelled to Balearic island Ibiza to work as a dancer in a bar for that summer.
On July 31, Reid flew to South America while McCollum followed a day later.
Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum Connolly were arrested in August 2013 for attempting to smuggle £1.5million (€1.75 million) worth of cocaine out of Peru
The women, then aged just 19 and 20, carried the cocaine in food packages hidden in their luggage. Reid revealed that there was so much cocaine they were only able to fit in a few items of clothing to cover it
On August 6, McCollum was reported missing to the Police Service of Northern Ireland by her family, the same day as her arrest.
The duo were seized at Lima airport with 11kg of the Class A drug in their suitcases as they tried to check-in for a flight to Spain.
At the time of their arrest the women’s families had believed that they were in Ibiza doing bar work.
Following their arrest on August 6, the pair claimed they had been kidnapped by an armed gang and flown to Peru.
The women, who did not know each other beforehand, claim they were unwittingly introduced by friends to drugs runners, who threatened their families if they did not agree to smuggle cocaine.
The duo were sentenced to six years in prison but both served under half of that
Their story was described as ‘illogical’ and they later pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, but claimed they were doing so to secure a more lenient sentence.
During their sentencing in December 2013 the women learned they had escaped the most severe 15-year penalty in return for pleading guilty and passing on information about the gang that supplied the drugs.
On December 17 2013 Reid and McCollum were sentenced to six years and eight months in jail at the notorious Santa Monica prison in Chorrillo.
While their original sentence was due to last until April 2020 both women served a reduced sentence.
McCollum was released on parole in March 2015 after serving less than half of her sentence but was required to stay in Peru until February 2016.
Reid returned to the UK in June 2016 after serving just under half of her six-year prison sentence.
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