DRUGS mule Michaella McCollum today revealed she thought Peru was in Spain when she was caught smuggling narcotics.

The 26-year-old admitted she was "stupid" for agreeing to stash cocaine in her bag – but had thought she was doing "something quite normal".

Michaella and Melissa Reid were both 20 when they were caught with 11kgs of cocaine at Jorge Chavez International airport in Lima, Peru, in 2013 – claiming they had been forced to carry the drugs by an armed gang.

They faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a deal that saw them sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.

Speaking on the Lorraine show today, Michaella said she had considered smuggling drugs as "easy money" after being promised £5,000.

She said: "At the time, I thought £5,000 was a lot of money.

"I now know £5,000 is not a lot of money. I thought it was easy money and I thought I was just doing something quite normal over there.

"Drugs were quite a normal thing. Back home in the UK it's a taboo subject (but) it felt like a normal thing to do."

And while saying she had not thought through the plan, she said she had been hit with an "overwhelming fear" just a few days before getting on the plane.

The mum said: "I knew it was a crime, I knew if I got arrested I was going to go to prison.

"I didn't think about what it would do to me or my family."

And speaking to Lorraine today, Michaella said she hoped her sons would one day read her tell-all book to learn from her mistakes.

'I HAD NO IDEA'

She said: "I hope my children can learn from my experiences.

"I don't want them taking drugs and being lost in life, and the book can be a guidelines for themselves."

Michaella gave birth to twins Raphael Genie and Rio Addison last year.

And she confirmed she was not with the father of the two boys – but said she knew she could raise her sons by herself.

She added: "It's nothing something I planned, it's not how I envisioned things.

"They are my children and I love them."

I thought I was just doing something quite normal over there

Michaella admitted she had thought she was going to Spain when she was told she would be heading to Peru.

She said: "Now I look back, how stupid, who doesn't know where Peru is.

"At the time, I had no idea. Now I look back and I'm like – how can you not know where that place is?"

Michaella spent almost three years behind bars in Peru before being released to return home to Northern Ireland in 2016.

Writing in her new book, You'll Never See Daylight Again, she previously revealed how she had been stripped naked after being caught.

She described the conditions in the tiny room where she was held, which was lit by only a small ray of light and had only cement shelves as beds.

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