MICHAELLA McCollum Connolly and Melissa Reid have been sentenced to six years and eight months each in prison for attempting to smuggle £1.5 million worth of cocaine out of Peru.
Ms McCollum Connolly, from Dungannon, and Ms Reid, from Glasgow, pleaded guilty to smuggling 11kg (24lb) of the drug in September.
The 20-year-olds - who have already spent more than four months in prison in Peru - faced a possible maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
They received the minimum sentencing at a closed hearing that took place this afternoon, according to their lawyer.
The pair are expected to apply for permission to serve a portion of their prison sentence in the UK, once they have paid compensation for their crimes to the Peruvian state.
The prison terms will run from their arrest on August 6 earlier this year until April 5 2020.
Initially, the women denied the allegations against them and claimed they were forced to carry bags containing the cocaine by armed men, however, they later admitted their role.
