The mother of an Irish model being held on suspicion of drug trafficking in Peru has spoken of her distress.
Michaella McCollum Connolly, 20, was arrested along with friend Melissa Reid, 19, while trying to board a flight from Lima to Madrid.
They are due to appear in court on Wednesday accused of attempting to smuggle an estimated STG1.5 million ($A2.55 million) worth of cocaine out of South America.
The pair claim they were forced to carry bags in their luggage and were unaware they contained drugs.
On Tuesday, McCollum Connolly's mother Nora McCollum said the situation was "terrible for everyone".
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"At the moment we don't know anything. We don't know what is happening at all," she said.
The National Police of Peru said they found more than 10.8kg of cocaine hidden in food in the luggage of the two women.
Ms Reid's father William told reporters the family were going through a "living nightmare" and had not slept since they found out.
He said there was "no way" his daughter would have gone along willingly with a plan to smuggle drugs.
Last week, McCollum Connolly was at the centre of a social media appeal after her family said they had not had any contact with her for 12 days.
Ms Reid's mother, Debra, told reporters she thought her daughter was in Ibiza with friends and had no idea she had travelled to Peru until she was in police custody there.
Lead investigator Major Manuel Siclla told the Scottish Sun the women were OK, but worried.
"Like anyone else involved drug smuggling, they will be tried and face long prison sentences if convicted," he said.
"We take this problem very seriously here in Peru and courts are very strict about the enforcement of the law."
