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A judge in Peru has finally agreed that British drug mule Melissa Reid can serve the remainder of her sentence in a Scottish jail.

The 21-year-old, who submitted a request more than a year ago, could be home within weeks to finish what is left of the six years and eight-months she received in 2013 for drug trafficking.

Reid, along with Northern Irish accomplice Michaella McCollum Connolly, was caught with £1.5million worth of cocaine at Lima International Airport.

Now she is desperate to escape the poor conditions in the South American country’s notorious Ancon 2 desert prison, where disease is rife.

Scottish ministers confirmed last year that first offender Reid would be accepted into the prison system — but it has taken until now for Peruvian authorities to rubber stamp the move.

After a court hearing in Lima on Friday, the transfer documents have been passed to the Peruvian Ministry of Justice to be signed-off by the president, which sources say should take two to three weeks.

Scottish Prison Service officers will be flown to Peru to collect Reid once the process is complete.

Reid, from Lenzie, near Glasgow, was given the news during a prison visit from her parents Billy and Debbie Reid at the weekend.

Mr and Mrs Reid, who travelled to Peru last week to meet with their daughter’s lawyers, received written confirmation from the Foreign Office that the transfer had been approved.

Mr Reid, 55, said: “We are delighted we will soon have our daughter back home.

“It has been incredibly hard knowing Melissa is thousands of miles away in a foreign prison — and we constantly worry about her health and wellbeing.

(Image: Getty)

"She will be able to serve her time in conditions that do not breach her basic human rights. And she will have regular visits.”

Mr Reid, who revealed the family will pay her airfare home, added: “There are more opportunities for prisoners in the Scottish system, such as tagging and home leave.

"Melissa is pleased, and we are proud of how she has coped.”

Under UK law, she would be considered for parole after completing half of her sentence.

It is understood Miss Reid would be housed at HMP Cornton Vale, near Stirling, 25 miles from her parents’ home.

The Northern Ireland prison service has also granted a right of repatriation to McCollum Connolly, from Dungannon, County Tyrone, who could likewise be transferred to a UK prison.