Peru expels British woman jailed for drug trafficking

Peru expelled a British woman held in jail for more than two years for cocaine-trafficking in the South American country, authorities said.

Melissa Reid, 22, was put on a plane on Tuesday accompanied by her father, officials said. She was bound for Britain via Madrid.

"Melissa was accompanied to the boarding lounge by immigration personnel to certify her expulsion," a spokesman for the department told AFP on Tuesday.

Reid, 22, was arrested in August 2013 at Lima's international airport along with Irish national Michaella McCollum.

Authorities said both women had cocaine in their luggage which they were trying to smuggle out of the country.

Reid was sentenced to six years and eight months in jail.

A court in Lima approved her expulsion last month after an appeal by her lawyers.

She paid a fine of about $3,000 dollars, the court said.

McCollum was granted parole last month on a conditional release and remains in Lima.