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Episode 34: Drug mule Michaella McCollum and the tale of the 'Peru Two'

Nicola Tallant, Sunday World investigations editor

Nicola Tallant

She was the teenage drug mule who became a household name - and when she was jailed in Peru for attempting to smuggle 11 kilos of cocaine to Ibiza her fame was cemented.

But since then, the story of Michaella McCollum and her sidekick Melissa Reid has seen many ups and downs and while Reid has faded into oblivion, Instagram sensation McCollum continues to court celebrity.

Cancelled by Piers Morgan, criticised for courting the media and now laid bare in a BBC series centred on the story of the Peru Two, Michaella McCollum has never tried to hide from her past but who is she and what price is her fame.

Nicola Tallant is joined by journalist Lynne Kelleher who has written extensively on the Peru Two and who has managed to get a sneak preview of the new BBC series set to be released this week which McCollum has participated in for free.

She tells me about the hedonistic cartel plot to smuggle cocaine, the cockroach infected cells, her rise to popularity amongst some of and the endearing qualities of the real Michaella McCollum.

Crime Word Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud.


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