A Dublin woman in an Ecuador prison will today seek to be transferred to Ireland to finish her sentence.
Roisín Zoe Savage was jailed for eight years in 2003 after two-and-a-half kilograms of cocaine were found in her luggage at Quito Airport.
Savage (29), who claims the drugs were planted, will today meet the Irish Honorary Consul to discuss a switch to an Irish prison.
Last month, Ecuador signed up to the Strasbourg Convention, which stipulates that foreign inmates can be repatriated to jails in their home countries.
Honorary Consul, Dominique Kennedy makes monthly visits to Ms Savage and stays in weekly phone contact.
Ms Savage, who is being held in Quito's Centre de Detencion Provisional with 420 other women, has lodged an appeal, but no date has been set yet for the hearing.
A new lawyer hired by Ms Savage's lawyer now hopes to use the provisions of the Strasbourg Convention to get her home.
Fianna Fáil TD Pat Carey, who once taught in the Dublin school attended by Ms Savage and has taken up her case, said he was hopeful she would be sent home soon.
"Her family are very concerned about her and her mother is in poor health at the moment," he added.