She may have been imprisoned for six years in Peru after being found guilty of smuggling £1.5m worth of cocaine into the country, but 20-year-old Melissa Reid could be back in her home country of Scotland by the time her 21st birthday rolls around.
However, there's a slight twist – she will still be in prison, it's just this time she will be held in a prison in Scotland, which, at the very least, puts her closer to her relatives and in better living conditions.
The Scottish Prison Service has confirmed they are processing an application for Melissa to return to her home country to finish her sentence at home. 'The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has responsibility for UK citizens imprisoned abroad. We have been in touch with them regarding Melissa Reid and have asked to be kept informed of developments,' a government spokesperson told the BBC. It's common practice for these applications to be successful.
Melissa (the one who wore that faux Celine T-shirt in court, fyi) is understandably excited by the news: 'I am so surprised that my request is being dealt with so quickly and urgently and, although I know it has not yet been accepted, I feel confident about the process now after having some news so quickly,' she's said to have written in a note to her parents. 'Who knows, I could be out of this place before my 21st birthday and that really would be a dream.'
No word yet on whether there will be a similar deal for her fellow smuggler Michaella McCollum – whose also had her eight-year-sentence reduced to serving six in Peru after she pleaded guilty last year. In case you've forgotten, Melissa and Michaella told authorities that they were kidnapped at gunpoint while on working holidays in Ibiza and forced to work as drugs mules for a gang in Peru – carrying the cocaine through the airports in porridge bags. A warning tale worth remembering when you're booking those Easyjet flights for your summer holiday to the Balearics, people…
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.