The two British women accused of attempting to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5 million out of Peru have been branded liars by the lawyer who prepared the preliminary case against them. And he says their refusal to confess increases their prospect of facing 15 years in prison. In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Dr Juan Mendoza Abarca, head of the state attorney’s office anti-drugs unit, dismissed the women’s stories. Scroll down for video Living a nightmare: Michaella McCollum Connolly, left, and Melissa Reid in a Lima court He said their excuses were ‘very well practised’, they had been coached in what to say and their ‘demeanour did not suggest that they had been threatened’.
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Lawyer brands women accused of attempting to smuggle cocaine as liars
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Dr Juan Mendoza Abarca said their excuses were 'very well practised'
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He said the two women had no proof to back up their claims
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The cocaine was concealed inside porridge and jelly packets with a lining of loose pepper on the inside to mask the smell of drugs;
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The cocaine was cut with bicarbonate of soda and starch;
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The women were carrying cash, including €50, £35 of local currency and $50;
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They also had a digital camera and two BlackBerry phones with sim cards, which are currently being investigated.
Melissa Reid has poured her heart out in a series of letters to friends at home, describing  her nightmare ordeal in a squalid @placeholder prison.