To not feel any sympathy for drug-smuggling women?

[DarceyBissell]

Just that really. Two young women facing 25 years in a Peruvian jail for trying to smuggle 11kg of cocaine. Saw they described as 'vulnerable' in one paper. Hardly. Greedy and stupid though.

[stickingattwo]

They were unbelievably stupid, they're also young and have ruined their lives and if gulty, coerced or not will be spending a long time in prison, a long way from home. So yes, they get my sympathy. The Idiots.

[Arnie123]

They have apparently admitted their guilt but said they were forced to carry the bags through. I have no sympathy whatsoever especially as one girl just went missing and did not even bother to tell her family where she was. I have lost friends and a family member to drugs overdoses. At least they get a chance to walk away from this albeit in ten years or so. How much death and misery would £1.5 million of cocaine caused if it had ever hit the street.

[waltzingmathilda]

Let me think about this one.

Hypotheticlly someone offer me £8K cash and a free week in South America.

All above board and legit?

They are either stupid or greedy. Either way I have no empathy for drug runners. They are just a pair of [judgemental expletives] out in the clubbing scene who thought they could make a quick buck.

They are no loss to society. I pity the parents a little.

[BeCool]

I feel very sorry for them too.

Yes they were incredibly naive and stupid and possibly greedy - but I could be pretty naive and stupid at 19 too and the idea of earning some ££ when otherwise I was pretty limited earnings wise, well it might have been tempting (not that I did anything like this. Then again, thankfully I didn't have the "opportunity").

We don't know their story but I doubt very much they thought this up themselves. They will probably be the bottom of the chain, manipulated, head filled with big ideas and promises of ££.

They will be completely disposable to the people who are running the bigger picture, though no doubt they were made, at some point to feel very special.

Silly girls, but most likely manipulated by people who really know what they are doing - that's my guess. Even if they did completely freely choose to do this, they made a silly mistake and one that they may pay for for a long time. I still feel sorry for them.

[KellyElly]

I feel sorry for them. It's never the drugs cartels doing the time in prison is it. It's always some stupid naive person being manipulated into taking all the risk by the people making the real money. I'm assuming anyone who feels no sympathy for them has never taken any drugs in their lives or associates with anyone who does because the people buying a bag of coke/some weed at the weekend are just as much to blame for the drug industry thriving as these women. I save my disdain for the actual cartels and people higher up the chain.

[Arnie123]

To all the people saying they were only 19 you were that age once and I doubt you would have done something so stupid and greedy

[MrsOakenshield]

actually, i reckon I could have been that stupid. I was incredibly naive and gullible, never had a boyfriend, completely oblivious to the ways of the world. If a man schmoozed and charmed me and told me life would be wonderful, I reckon I could have been his for the taking. Sometimes I look back at myself and am frightened at how easily my life could have taken a wrong turn.

Do you think the same thing about naive young women who end up with abusive twats, who maybe everyone else could see were abusive twats, but to them were the light at the end of the rainbow? You'd just leave them to their fate for the next 25 years, would you - their fault, they should have known what they were getting into?

I think this kind of judge-and-jury thing going on on this thread, particularly on the back of newspaper reports, is incredibly worrying.

[SJisontheway]

Come on. There's something more to this. Disappearing off the face of the earth and allowing your family to think the worst. This wasn't some jolly to south America and a fast buck. It sounds really sinister. The drug gangs are really ruthless. I'd like to hear their version of events before I judge.

[SauceForTheGander]

I feel sorry for them. Speculating of course but chances are they've got themselves into some coke taking dodgy circle in Ibizia and believed whoever told them it was no risk - coke can do that to you. Full of youthful nonsense and coke fuelled arrogance maybe they thought they'd get away with it. Thank god it wasn't me 20 years ago. I was too scared of my mum but if I hadn't been who knows what wrong turns I might have taken.

I hate coke. It doesn't improve anyone's personality. I'd wager these girls have been victims themselves of this shitty drug. It's just the sort of stupid thing someone would agree to do all coked up.

[noddyholder]

My brother was a heroin addict for 13 years he feels nothing but compassion for them. He doesn't blame dealers or mules or anything he says he was born an addict and if it hadn't been heroin it would have been anything else to get that numbing. He took heroin of his own free will.

[mystaplerisevil]

do any of you watch banged up abroad? there was one from Peru last night, bloke decided he didn't want to take the drugs out of the country and threw them, when he got to the destination he was meant to be taking the drugs to he was basically taken by the drugs gangs and told he could either sell a body part, sacrifice a member of his family (they had names and addresses of his neices/nephews, brothers etc) or he could go back and bring the drugs with him this time.

He chose the latter and the drugs were crudely attached to him, at the check in it as obvious he was carrying and he was arrested then and there. He was set up, apparently they have an 'understanding' with the authorities and sacrifice someone who changes thier mind about carrying until they have no choice.

corruption - these girls have got into something much bigger than simple smuggling. coke is rife on the streets now everywhere. everyone is in on it.

[theodorakisses]

Sympathy from me, they are little more than teenagers. I have done some crazy things in my youth, maybe not that but was dragged into some pretty scary situaions.

[TheCraicDealer]

I'd imagine they went out there with a view to work and party over the summer. PR and promo work wasn't as easy to find as they anticipated, funds running low, and suddenly an opportunity to make a bit of easy money presents itself. The risks are talked down, "you'll be fine, don't worry, we've done this so many times before", and suddenly you're on a plane to fucking Peru.

They've probably got mixed up with a bad crowd, and I do feel sympathetic considering the position they've now found themselves in. However, they chose to get involved with that party scene, they chose to stay out there instead of coming home when things got hairy. The story of your life is the story of the decisions you make, and for these two it's unlikely to have a happy ending.

[SauceForTheGander]

TheCraic - that was pretty much how I imagined it - with maybe some guys pretending to be their boyfriends with a bit of threatening /coercion thrown in.

[cumfy]

What was the purpose of their return trip to Peru ?

Will they provide a credible answer to this ?

It seems unlikely.

[Arnie123]

I am a recovered addict who lost 5 years of my life to drugs. People like this need jail for the misery they cause. On another note if they had got through customs I very much doubt they would ever have been given the cash they had been promised. They are beyond stupid

[Nancy66]

But Arnie why are they any worse than you? They smuggled illegal drugs. You took illegal drugs.

Both parties had free will. Both parties made bad choices.

[noddyholder]

Agree nancy

[SpecialAgentCuntSnake]

Because look at this way: Essentially, view on drugs aside, they were illegally smuggling over a million dollars worth of something illegal into another country. It's only controversial because people have such varied views on drugs. Any other illegal item would we be as likely to brand them vulnerable etc?

That's far worse than being an addict IMO.

Congratulations Arnie, it's hard to recover and you're right, I very much doubt they would have gotten paid.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

soverylucky
"Totally astounded that people can read a few newspaper and internet articles and decide they know the full facts of the case and condemn these two ladies."

Its only the flip side of those that have decided that they were coerced in to it.

[LadyMilfordHaven]

I love "banged up abroad". It's terrifying.

I feel sorry for them. What utter fools.

[eccentrica]

sweetest unlike you I have lost loved ones to drugs, including one very close friend, and also unlike you I do have sympathy for these girls

if drugs were legalised these girls would not have got involved with smuggling and my friend would still be alive, rather than dead at 29.

[HighJinx]

It's impossible to know what has happened in this case yet.

Historically people caught in this type of situation have described it very much as Craic says with the risks being talked down and promises of customs having been 'paid off' or the drugs being packed in special bags that make it impossible for scanners/dogs/anything to find them. They are also often told it will only be a small quantity that they will have to bring back. It's all very friendly and laid back.

Then once they are in Peru they are given shed loads of drugs to carry by people who are anything but friendly and there is no way to back out.

I would like to think that at their age I wouldn't have fallen for it, but in all honesty I think I might have.

However, as others have said, we have no idea what the story is in this case.

[Arnie123]

No nancy the only person I hurt was myself. I have no family. That amount of cocaine would have caused deaths. I was broke when I was an addict and could easily have worked for my dealers may addicts do but I have a moral compass whereas these girls did not

[noddyholder]

I don't think it a moral issue at all.