- Melissa Reid, 24, fell for Gary Stafford, 34, when he contacted her in Lima prison
- He was travelling around South America and heard about her after drug scandal
- Once she was released they flew to Scotland where they share flat in Kilmarnock
Peru Two drugs mule Melissa Reid is dating a backpacker who visited her in jail when she was behind bars in South America.
Gary Stafford, 34, flew to Peru to visit Reid when she was locked up for smuggling millions of pounds worth of cocaine.
When Reid, from Lenzie, near Glasgow, was released the couple’s romance blossomed and they now share a house in Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire.
Melissa Reid (pictured right) is now is dating backpacker Gary Stafford, 34, who visited her in jail when she was behind bars in South America. Pictured: Reid and Michaella McCollum were arrested at an airport in Lima, Peru, after being found with millions of pounds of cocaine
A friend revealed Mr Stafford spent years travelling around South America and made contact with Reid when he heard about the drug controversy.
‘His visits meant the world to Melissa as it was a very tough experience. When she was eventually released, Gaz came back to Scotland too,’ a friend told The Sun.
‘They then moved in together and are very happy. They have really fallen for each other.
‘Melissa just wants to live a quiet life. She has no desire to be famous on the back of what happened.’
Mr Stafford flew to Peru to visit Reid (right) when she was locked up over the drugs scandal
The couple were seen kissing in an Edinburgh bar weeks after Reid’s release from notorious Ancon prison in Lima.
Reid was found with a £1.5million stash in suitcases at Lima airport in 2013.
Reid claimed she was forced into it by armed hoods but later admitted she knew what she was doing.