Charlotte May Lee, a 21-year-old former British flight attendant from Coulsdon, south London, has appeared in court in Sri Lanka accused of smuggling a large quantity of cannabis into the country. She was arrested upon arrival in Colombo on a flight from Bangkok, Thailand.
Lee was detained at Bandaranaike International Airport on Monday, May 11, after customs officials discovered 46 kilograms of ‘Kush’—a synthetic and highly potent strain of cannabis—in her suitcase.
The drugs, which have an estimated street value of £1.2 million, were concealed in her luggage and brought into court as evidence during her appearance.
During her court appearance in Colombo, Charlotte was visibly distressed. Footage from outside the courthouse showed her being led in tears to a waiting prison van by Sri Lankan police.
Inside the courtroom, she was held in a cell at the back before being briefly brought to the witness box. However, she reportedly struggled to understand the proceedings, which were conducted in Sinhalese, the primary language of Sri Lanka.
Charlotte now faces the harrowing prospect of up to 25 years in a Sri Lankan prison if found guilty. The conditions in local prisons have been widely condemned by human rights organizations, with reports often describing them as overcrowded and unsanitary.
Despite the serious charges against her, Lee maintains her innocence, claiming she was the victim of a setup. Speaking from behind bars in the women’s wing of a notorious Sri Lankan prison last week, she shared her side of the story with MailOnline.
“I had no idea there were drugs in my luggage when I set off for Sri Lanka,” she said. “I had never seen them before. I didn’t expect it at all when they pulled me over at the airport. I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff.”
She recounted her final hours in Bangkok, explaining that she had packed her bags in advance of her early morning flight. Afterward, she left her hotel room to enjoy a night out and did not re-check her luggage before heading to the airport the next day. “They must have planted it then,” she alleged. “I know who did it.”
Charlotte revealed that she had been working temporarily on a “booze cruise” in Thailand when her 30-day visa was about to expire. Rather than overstay her visa, she opted for a short trip to Sri Lanka while waiting for a renewal.
“I thought, while I was waiting for the visa, that I’d come to Sri Lanka,” she said. “They [the individuals she suspects of planting the drugs] were supposed to meet me here. But now I’m here—stuck in this jail.”
As the investigation into the alleged smuggling operation continues, Charlotte is expected to return to court for a further hearing in two weeks. Her case has already attracted significant media attention, both in the UK and abroad, amid growing concern over the treatment of foreigners caught up in international drug trafficking cases.