So that woman who went missing in Ibiza

[J OGorman]

These girls were in Peru for one reason and one reason only, easy money. They weren't threatened, neither were their friends or families. They moved to Ibiza, a known party island, for a good time and looking at the pics on facebook and elsewhere they were certainly getting it. Anyone who is a dancer/hostess/whatever you want to call it, in one of these super clubs isn't wet behind the ears, she/they knew what they were getting themselves in to, knew the risks and equally knew what the reward would be if they were to make it back to Spain.
If they had been successful they would have made some serious money for what would have been a few days work and they would now be living it large again in Ibiza. They got caught and we are now seeing crocodile tears and they are looking for an easy way out. Of course their families are in shock and will do all they can to help them, but the reality is they were caught red handed with a large amount of Bolivian marching powder and they are facing a long stretch behind bars in a foreign country where human rights, especially for drugs smugglers, aren't that high on the agenda.
Drug couriers are regularly caught at Irish ports and airports, we don't go down the sympathy route (somebody's son/daughter) in these cases and we shouldn't now. Let them rot.

but its not beyond the realms of possibility that what they are saying is true at the same time. Will be an interesting watch either way. Mere speculation @ the minute. (on a less serious note, the girl from Tyrone not look like Boy George??)

[All of a Sludden]

These girls were in Peru for one reason and one reason only, easy money. They weren't threatened, neither were their friends or families. They moved to Ibiza, a known party island, for a good time and looking at the pics on facebook and elsewhere they were certainly getting it. Anyone who is a dancer/hostess/whatever you want to call it, in one of these super clubs isn't wet behind the ears, she/they knew what they were getting themselves in to, knew the risks and equally knew what the reward would be if they were to make it back to Spain.
If they had been successful they would have made some serious money for what would have been a few days work and they would now be living it large again in Ibiza. They got caught and we are now seeing crocodile tears and they are looking for an easy way out. Of course their families are in shock and will do all they can to help them, but the reality is they were caught red handed with a large amount of Bolivian marching powder and they are facing a long stretch behind bars in a foreign country where human rights, especially for drugs smugglers, aren't that high on the agenda.
Drug couriers are regularly caught at Irish ports and airports, we don't go down the sympathy route (somebody's son/daughter) in these cases and we shouldn't now. Let them rot.

but its not beyond the realms of possibility that what they are saying is true at the same time. Will be an interesting watch either way. Mere speculation @ the minute. (on a less serious note, the girl from Tyrone not look like Boy George??)

It is also not beyond the realms of possibility that they are lying through their teeth.

Honest Guv it wasn't me what dunnit, it was a Cockney Geezer what made me dunnit.

[qubdub]

I think it's completely beyond the realms of possibility that everything they said was true. The sooner they tell the full truth the better. I find a lot of their story to be very far-fetched. My initial suspicion, right from the beginning was that they were willing participants that just got caught red-handed. The story simply does not add up and the more information on this case that comes out the more sceptical I am.

[T Fearon]

I heard Conor Gormley forced them to do it

[All of a Sludden]

I heard Conor Gormley forced them to do it

I heard Mickey Harte is organising a White Line Protest in Dungannon on Friday evening to highlight the plight of this young lass from Tyrone.

[grounded]

These girls were in Peru for one reason and one reason only, easy money. They weren't threatened, neither were their friends or families. They moved to Ibiza, a known party island, for a good time and looking at the pics on facebook and elsewhere they were certainly getting it. Anyone who is a dancer/hostess/whatever you want to call it, in one of these super clubs isn't wet behind the ears, she/they knew what they were getting themselves in to, knew the risks and equally knew what the reward would be if they were to make it back to Spain.
If they had been successful they would have made some serious money for what would have been a few days work and they would now be living it large again in Ibiza. They got caught and we are now seeing crocodile tears and they are looking for an easy way out. Of course their families are in shock and will do all they can to help them, but the reality is they were caught red handed with a large amount of Bolivian marching powder and they are facing a long stretch behind bars in a foreign country where human rights, especially for drugs smugglers, aren't that high on the agenda.
Drug couriers are regularly caught at Irish ports and airports, we don't go down the sympathy route (somebody's son/daughter) in these cases and we shouldn't now. Let them rot.

I'm sure if it was a family member/friend of yours you would have the same sentiments.

[All of a Sludden]

These girls were in Peru for one reason and one reason only, easy money. They weren't threatened, neither were their friends or families. They moved to Ibiza, a known party island, for a good time and looking at the pics on facebook and elsewhere they were certainly getting it. Anyone who is a dancer/hostess/whatever you want to call it, in one of these super clubs isn't wet behind the ears, she/they knew what they were getting themselves in to, knew the risks and equally knew what the reward would be if they were to make it back to Spain.
If they had been successful they would have made some serious money for what would have been a few days work and they would now be living it large again in Ibiza. They got caught and we are now seeing crocodile tears and they are looking for an easy way out. Of course their families are in shock and will do all they can to help them, but the reality is they were caught red handed with a large amount of Bolivian marching powder and they are facing a long stretch behind bars in a foreign country where human rights, especially for drugs smugglers, aren't that high on the agenda.
Drug couriers are regularly caught at Irish ports and airports, we don't go down the sympathy route (somebody's son/daughter) in these cases and we shouldn't now. Let them rot.

I'm sure if it was a family member/friend of yours you would have the same sentiments.

No I would have the same sentiments, if anyone connected to me had any involvement with the drugs trade I would have no sympathy for them.

The cocaine in Spain is smuggled mainly on the plane.

[Ulick]

The way it works in places like Peru when it comes to moving drugs is simple.  The Police are corrupt and the drug dealers have them in their pockets.  The will have 3-4 mules going at any given time.  They tip the cops off with a marked suit case or something like that and they bust a mule and get footage of it, see the way they are searching them infront of the huge anti drugs smuggling picture in the background.  The cops are seen to bust drug smugglers to the tune of $1m worth of drugs while at the same time 2 other mules have carried 3-4 times that amount through.  The cops and the Government are seen to be doing their job and the drug dealers are happy, it is a win-win or a lose-lose depending on your point of view.  I wouldn't be surprised if the reason the girls were so calm looking is that they were juiced up with something to keep their nerves calm as if they were jumpy they would have been picked up going through.  I think they were completely set up by the drug dealers and are going to pay dearly for whatever they believed they were doing.

Peru would be no more corrupt that the likes of Itlay and most of our new EU partners.

[supersub]

Some of the comments on here are quite cynical and given no one knows the actual story quite ridiculous. If you had been threatened with your life and your family members lives and held at gun point, thrown in with strangers etc you certainly wouldn't resist or fight back or go against the orders of whoever is forcing the issue on you - anyone who says different is lying. Similarly if they did have a choice and went about this to make easy money and their story is completely fabricated then they only have themselves to blame and probably deserve whatever punishment they have coming their way.

You probably think that Lance Armstrong was innocent If some posters comments have been cynical what would yours be? 

But yeah when the facts come out do you think the girls will stick to their story? I think the story could be half true but they had plenty of chances to walk away from it. I doubt very much London or Colombian Gangsters are going to head to Dungannon or Glasgow for a "hit" Have they never seen the film The long Good Friday?

My comments would be of an open mind and taking in both possibilities, why? What I am saying is their story could be true but equally so they could be talking complete shite and trying to get away with it. Don't think there is much wrong with that.

[southdown]

Nobody has a clue what went on.  They could be guilty as hell, or they could be innocent victims of the drug smuggling world.

I have been to Ibiza many times.  All I know is that drugs are all over the place and either story could be true.

[Ulick]

How do you know all this?

Why wouldn't it be plausible? In terms of wages they wouldn't get a wile lot of money when working in an airport, getting paid to let ones through and catch others would be as said a win win for everyone concerned.

The drug dealers are telling the girls the truth, the workers are paid off to let people through, just left out the bit that they will let the other ones through instead.

I still don't think they are "drugged", they are talking well (not slurred) they are making sense and whispering among themselves

Why let them find 11kg of very valuable coke when 1kg would achieve the same result? It doesn't add up.

It's about PR, better to have $1m worth of drugs off the street that €100k.  I'll tell you what doesn't add up is the amount of 'coverage' of the arrest and the recording of conversations and 'interviews' with the girls.  Something stinks here.

All speculation which can be quite easily explained. It's routine in Latin American countries to record the airport searches especially of Europeans because when they're caught invariably they'll usually accuse corrupt officials in host country of planting evidence. Video taping goes some way to reassuring their own people and courts that such claims are based on not much more that prejudice. To suggest a drug dealer is going to give away $1m worth of drugs as a decoy or PR exercise is frankly outrageous. Not far behind is the suggestion that Peruvian airport police and troops are on the take to boost their income. The Peruvian police are probably the most professional, best trained and efficient of all in central and south America. Those they have working in around Lima, the tourist areas and airports are among the best paid of their police force earning salaries in the region of $30-60k well above average earnings for there and probably most places in the world. Then you have their long history of fighting drug trafficking and a not so inconsequential conflict with the Shinning Path will also have their methods and procedures up to the "best European standards" - to buy out free passage for drugs through an airport would entail bribing loads of the best paid and most professional police and troops in the region - not impossible but extremely unlikely and probably not an expense or risk your average drug dealer is going to try.

At the end of the day the girls were caught bang to rights. Probably out there on the promise of a free holiday and a few grand. Stupid and nieve but the amount of excuses being made for them is ridiculous.

[Syferus]

Nobody has a clue what went on.  They could be guilty as hell, or they could be innocent victims of the drug smuggling world.

I have been to Ibiza many times.  All I know is that drugs are all over the place and either story could be true.

To be fair, the former is much more likely than an actually-real Kevin McGeever kidnapping plot with multiple transits and a thousand extra things that could go wrong beyond getting someone who was on board for a pay-day.

[rodney trotter]

They are making a right balls of it with the excuses. Unless they are somehow true.
There is nothing smug about making comments on here, if they weren't caught they wold have exported over 1.5 millions worth of Cocaine to Ibiza - as if there wasn't enough. And made a nice fortune. Maybe they would have went on to being big players down the line.

It was up to them get on a plane to the other side of the world.

[EC Unique]

Slightly off topic but I see 100million of the stuff Siezed today by Brits in a boat!

[macdanger2]

Unless she was being held at gun-point - and surely if she wanted to she could have alerted someone in the airport to the situation and avoided committing the crime - I doubt too many will have much sympathy for her.

I've never been involved with drug smuggling but I'm guessing it's not the sort of situation where you can say just say "look lads, I've changed my mind!"

I've never seen cameras there when my luggage was being searched in an airport

every square inch of major airports are covered by cctv (with the exception of the can)

It didn't look like CCTV to me. Not saying there was necessarily anything that odd about them being filmed but I wouldn't have thought it'd be released to the press just like that?