Drugs mule Michaella McCollum must remain in Peru despite her unexpected release from prison this week.
McCollum, from Dungannon in Co Tyrone, learned that an application to serve out her sentence outside the notorious Ancon 2 desert facility had been successful during a hearing in Lima on Tuesday, and she was freed from jail on Thursday night.
It is notoriously difficult to secure such a parole in Peru's courts, and the Irish woman is understood to have impressed the presiding judge, Mrs Justice Zapata, with her "attitude and demeanour".
It is understood that her mother, Nora McCollum, was in court to support her daughter at the crunch hearing.
Her solicitor Kevin Winters confirmed she was released on parole on Thursday.
However, she will not be allowed to return to her family in Ireland, as the conditions of her parole mean she must theoretically remain in Peru for the remaining 50 months of the sentence handed down by the court in 2013.
McCollum and Melissa Reid, from Lenzie, near Glasgow in Scotland, were imprisoned for six years and eight months after admitting trying to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5 million from Peru to Spain.
They were caught trying to board a flight with 24lb (11kg) of cocaine in food packets hidden inside their luggage.
The pair met in on the holiday island of Ibiza and initially claimed they were forced at gunpoint into carrying the drugs for a South American drugs cartel, before later pleading guilty to the crime.
The plea reduced a potential 15-year sentence to less than seven years.
McCollum will technically have to remain in the South American country until April 2020, although the Irish News understands she will be eligible to make an application to be released back to Ireland after a period of time.
There had been efforts to repatriate her to a jail in Northern Ireland, with Justice Minister David Ford last year approving an application for her return based on grounds including the difficulty in maintaining family contact.
Reid is understood to continuing to pursue her bid to be sent to a Scottish prison to serve out her sentence, although a number of anticipated return dates have already come and gone. She remained in the jail last night.
Irish-American Archbishop Sean Walsh, of the Eastern Catholic tradition, said Michaella is to stay with him and his wife at their Lima home for the remainder of her time in the country.
"It is her parole address," he said.
Archbishop Walsh said she will initially help him "with the formatting of the church magazine" before starting work with Fr Cathal Gallagher at his Columbian Fathers' Mission, helping HIV+ and AIDS sufferers.
