Missing...

I still feel sorry for them though. It's a different level of youthful stupidity, but still. If it was up to me, I'd edit any posts here that suggest they knew all about what they were doing. It's only hearsay after all.

Edited to add: maybe I was being overly generous. The story now is so implausible, sympathy may be impossible!
 
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From a priest whose visited them:

The archbishop said: "They told me that there were a group of Colombians that actually took them at gunpoint and threatened them."

He said the women said they were held for a while by the gang before being taken to Morocco and back to Peru again.

"I don't know how that happened and I don't know how they got over to Peru," he said.

"There's no direct flight from Morocco, they go through Spain probably, but if they threatened them in some way, that to me seems like a credible defence."


Still doesn't explain why the went to Peru in the first place? :/
 
Looks like we're hearing their version of the story sooner rather than later ...

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/peru-drug-arrests-melissa-michaella-2163434

So .... who is "The Cockney" ?

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/exclusive-interview-coke-bust-michaella-2163147

Some glaring inconsistencies already in the reporting ... the above article talks of toy llamas being used when the police pics show Quaker oats & jelly ... I do hope these journalists aren't embellishing stories.

As for the credibile defence and mitigation angles unfortunately what I suspect they are likely to find is that ignorance and/or coercion won't have much impact if any on sentences they are handed down, especially if they can't produce any evidence or any of the people involved.

It's also possible that £10k a run offer is a 'hook' that got bitten on before the rest unfolded.Reminder coming out already kids is don't be too forthcoming about your personal details with people you just met, however credible they are, and run a mile from promises of very easy money. The Costa del Sol has been full of con artists for a very long time and it's only a matter of time with the increase in money flooding over to Ibiza that more of this sort of thing can be expected in the future.

If their story is true and they have genuinely been intimidated before agreeing to courier anything, this is very sad and I do feel sorry for them. It's always very hard to know the full truth in these circumstances. One thing is for sure, if you fall in with the wrong people the consequences can be dire so always be on your guard.
 
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Hmm.... interesting story.

So... both of these girls went out partying with their passports?

Because the timeline they give doesn't mention going back to their rooms to pick them up, and if their "captors" did wouldn't that have alerted their roommates?
 
I'm sorry but as sad as this is I don't believe their 'story' for one second. Inconsistencies are apearing all over the place. It was said on 5live this morning that they said they were held at gun point and threatened to go to Peru and bring these bags back but when they were caught they pleaded that they didnt know there was coke in the bags, they thought it was food. Who threatens people at gun point to bring food back from Peru?
 
And after all that, once you were free, in Peru, or even still in Madrid past security, why wouldn't you alert police, family, etc. to your plight??
 
^^ They're relying on the assertion that they feared the gang would kill their families if they didn't go through with it. It's a weak one because if they feared that then how come they're happy to calmly assert it now there's presumably a risk of them giving details which could help identify them.
 
And tying back into what Wednesday said previously, although she admits it could just be rumours, but if they were basically just kidnapped at gun point how did people on the island know they had gone to Peru before it became news about what had happened to them...
 
richieb said:
And tying back into what Wednesday said previously, although she admits it could just be rumours, but if they were basically just kidnapped at gun point how did people on the island know they had gone to Peru before it became news about what had happened to them...
Click to expand...

To be fair it wouldn't take long for that to become a 'fact' after the event.
 
richieb said:
I'm sorry but as sad as this is I don't believe their 'story' for one second. Inconsistencies are apearing all over the place. It was said on 5live this morning that they said they were held at gun point and threatened to go to Peru and bring these bags back but when they were caught they pleaded that they didnt know there was coke in the bags, they thought it was food. Who threatens people at gun point to bring food back from Peru?
Click to expand...

Peruvian drug dealers i presume
 
Morbyd said:
And after all that, once you were free, in Peru, or even still in Madrid past security, why wouldn't you alert police, family, etc. to your plight??
Click to expand...

Exactly.. if you're being held at gun point then surely the best way out is get to the police asap, even risking trouble with your family.. for all you know you might get to Peru and get shot by them anyway!

I don't believe it for a second either
 
If it were a credible threat and they had alerted authorities, they probably could have gotten some sort of protection for their families... particularly if they'd just reported an armed kidnapping incident!

It falls apart on so many levels. Sounds like a rehearsed excuse.
 
Two things that may help their situation:

1) Apparently they didnt know each other before the incident. (not sure at what point they met). To do a deal like this together they would have to have a decent amount of trust in each other. Only people that know both of them would be able to comment on that.

2) For the family to consider her missing, there is a chance that for her not to be in touch with back home was very odd. If she wasn't being backmailed into it, why didnt she contact her family as normal? Unless she thought calls or internet could be traced to Peru should they be caught.
 
antgal23 said:
I reckon they ran up (or were allowed to on purpose) a drugs bill and so the gang had them cornered
Click to expand...

Could not agree more. The chicks facebook profile is wide open (if you don't lock it down people can see your stuff -simple as) and going off the photos shes fairly thinned out in recent months. That likely does not come from a healthy diet and exercise in ibiza.
 
Morbyd said:
If it were a credible threat and they had alerted authorities, they probably could have gotten some sort of protection for their families... particularly if they'd just reported an armed kidnapping incident!

It falls apart on so many levels. Sounds like a rehearsed excuse.
Click to expand...

Have to say I'm inclined to agree and what's been reported sounds like it was made up as the story that would be told if they got stopped. Obviously with sealed packets they could not KNOW what was in them so technically that is likely true but the rest of their story confirms they admit to thinking it was drugs.

At some point if you've never been in it for direct or indirect financial gain from the outset your fear of getting caught and aversion to doing wrong would override your worry about the gang and you'd ditch the bags before checking them in. Let's face it once at Barajas a call to your parents would get you an on-line ticket home, at which point you could seek police protection if you were worried about your safety in Peru or Spain. The whole Morocco thing reported by the BBC seems to have been dropped from the story too in the timeline published. Their passports would bear the stamps if it's correct in any event. I'm not convinced by what's been reported and I very much doubt a judge will be either.

The fact it's claimed they've resigned themselves to a few years inside in Peru is at least realistic on their part. However, the fact they seem to be holding it together so well despite knowing what's in store also suggests they were aware of consequences and risks. They may well have been threatened after embarking on the venture as the dealers had already begun investing money in the operation they were co-operating with. However, believing that the 'verbal contract' to courier something disclosed or undisclosed back from Peru was one entered into entirely as a result of blackmail is a tough bridge to cross. Managing an unwilling mule over so many flights seems a very risky strategy on the dealers' part aside from anything else.

However as far as being exonerated is concerned, proof and a head on the block would be needed for that. There's a saying that there's no smoke without fire and at the very least their decisions have most likely compromised them for a long time to come. What they'll discover is that in cases where they're guilty after the fact through being caught in possession like that the burden of proof is effectively on the accused it is extremely difficult to do that conclusively. It's a bit like trying to prove your drink was spiked ! They'd have been better off ditching the bags and boarding the flight. Chances of them being harmed between doing that and getting to safety are very low.

If they'd been accepting a whole load of freebies from a contact made in Ibiza without having that person properly checked out and this kick-started the whole coercion thing then that's where the problem seems to have started. There's a lesson in that alone. Whole thing is an interesting case anyhow and hopefully the publicity will highlight some realities to others.
 
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This is just a hunch and it may not even happen BUT once they both realise what kind of mess they're in i can see one trying to blame everything on the other to get off.... Especially if what is being reported about them not even knowing each other beforehand is true... If this does happen then it would be plainly obvious that whoever dishes out the blame would be the guilty one...

what a mess!!!
 
history of dodgy characters arriving from peru.

Pad_16in_Suitcase72.jpg



not just marmalade in those jars:)
 
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