Sri Lanka - Charlotte May Lee, 21, frm UK, arrested aft 101-lbs syn cannabis fnd in luggage aft flight frm Bangkok, Thailand to Sri Lanka, 19 May 2025

[MelmothTheLost]

And another one's been caught.

Another teen young British 'drugs mule' is caught: Ex-Tui air stewardess, 21, faces decades in Sri Lanka hellhole after being caught with '£1.15m of cannabis in her luggage' from Thailand​

A British former TUI cabin crew member has been arrested in a Sri Lankan airport after £1.15 million of cannabis was allegedly found in her luggage.

Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was detained at the main airport in the country's capital Colombo on Monday after arriving from a flight from Bangkok.

According to sources, authorities seized 46kg of kush - a strain of cannabis - as Miss Lee arrived from Thailand on a SriLankan Airlines flight.

Officials from the Customs Narcotics Control Unit in the airport said it is the largest amount of Kush ever to be detected since the international hub opened.

Ex-air stewardess, 21, arrested over '£1.15m of cannabis in luggage'

British ex-TUI cabin crew member Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, has been arrested in a Sri Lankan airport after £1.15m of cannabis was allegedly found in her luggage.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Sri Lanka retains the death penalty for drug smuggling, though no executions have been carried out in decades.

 

[Seni]

Foreign office supporting British woman after reports of drug-smuggling arrest in Sri Lanka

Former cabin crew member Charlotte May Lee, 21, reportedly accused of trying to bring 46kg of cannabis strain kush into country

www.theguardian.com

(...)

Kush is a synthetic mixture of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol and formaldehyde. It has been blamed for wreaking havoc in west Africa, where some reports suggest it is estimated to kill around a dozen people each week and hospitalise thousands in Sierra Leone alone.

(..)

 

[Dotta]

Meanwhile,
in Sri Lanka....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1924619064149684465

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1924725370571653420

Young British woman held on drug charges in Sri Lanka could be linked to Culley case

Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, flew from the same Bangkok airport as Bella May Culley, who was arrested a day earlier

www.theguardian.com

 

[Skigh]

Fears Bella Culley & Charlotte Lee cases ARE linked as ‘mystery man’ emerges

FEARS are growing that Brit “drug smuggling” cases involving Bella Culley and Charlotte Lee could be linked, as similarities including a “mystery man” have emerged. Within a…

www.thesun.co.uk

I wish they would stop referring to them as backpackers. Backpackers do not stay in luxury hotels .
The biggest connection that I can see is that they are both extremely entitled and wanted to live a life of luxury without wanting to work hard.

 

[CityKid]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1924725370571653420

Young British woman held on drug charges in Sri Lanka could be linked to Culley case

Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, flew from the same Bangkok airport as Bella May Culley, who was arrested a day earlier

www.theguardian.com

Interesting that both women have the same middle name.

 

[Skigh]

Interesting that both women have the same middle name.

Not really it was an extremely popular middle name at the time they were born .

 

[Skigh]

Sri Lanka 'smuggler' fears being locked up for 20yrs…& is 'aware' of Bella case

A BRIT accused of trying to smuggle £1.2m of killer addictive drugs into Sri Lanka fears being locked away “for a long time” – and is due to appear in court tomorrow. Charlotte Ma…

www.thesun.co.uk

She told pals in an emotional phone call from behind bars that she fears being made an example of because it's Sri Lanka's biggest bust of kush ever - and she could be locked away for more than 20 years.

British embassy officials have warned they will only be able to visit her once every six months if she is convicted for drug smuggling.

Pals said before her trip Charlotte had splashed out on new wheels for her £30,000 Audi car, and she also paid £5,000 to have new teeth fitted.

Charlotte told friends that she has struck up a friendship behind bars with a prison guard - and that new relationship is sustaining her through the ordeal.

A friend who spoke to Charlotte said: "She thinks she's going away for a long time.

"She is scared but talks of becoming very friendly with a prison guard."

They added that Charlotte is aware of the similar case of Bella Culley - an 18-year-old arrested in Georgia who is also accused of drug smuggling.

However, the two youngsters have never met, and Charlotte "doesn't know if there is any connection" to her own ordeal.

At the moment she can have visitors from 9.30am til 4.30pm, although there is no-one to go and see her in Sri Lanka, and her family are not flying out to meet her," the friend said.

 

[Herat]

From the sounds of it, CML has an even worse prison future ahead of her if the UK can't extradite her. She might well consider revealing all possible information about her associations and contacts and plead for mercy.

 

[ch_13]

At the moment she can have visitors from 9.30am til 4.30pm, although there is no-one to go and see her in Sri Lanka, and her family are not flying out to meet her," the friend said.

Snipped.

Ah..that's rough.

I don't have much sympathy for this bonehead. But to be in a foreign prison thousands of miles from home and none of your family seems to even care has got to be crushing. Maybe Charlotte burned all her bridges a long time ago and that's why they aren't coming to her aid. But it's striking to contrast her situation to Bella's where the family is rallying around her.

 

[Skigh]

Snipped.

Ah..that's rough.

I don't have much sympathy for this bonehead. But to be in a foreign prison thousands of miles from home and none of your family seems to even care has got to be crushing. Maybe Charlotte burned all her bridges a long time ago and that's why they aren't coming to her aid. But it's striking to contrast her situation to Bella's where the family is rallying around her.

Maybe they do not want the publicity . I am sure one of the newspapers would pay for a ticket in exchange for an exclusive story but the family might not wish to do this. Maybe they have other children they wish to protect from the press.
Or as you say this is the final straw and they are letting her suffer the consequences of her actions.

 

[musicaljoke]

Snipped.

Ah..that's rough.

I don't have much sympathy for this bonehead. But to be in a foreign prison thousands of miles from home and none of your family seems to even care has got to be crushing. Maybe Charlotte burned all her bridges a long time ago and that's why they aren't coming to her aid. But it's striking to contrast her situation to Bella's where the family is rallying around her.

Or maybe Charlotte's family was not a good environment and she turned the drug world. One doesn't always know the backstory and what might come of it.

 

[Skigh]

Or maybe Charlotte's family was not a good environment and she turned the drug world. One doesn't always know the backstory and what might come of it.

Charlotte had worked as an air hostess so obviously went through training so could have used work to remove herself from a poor home environment. Though we do not know why she left and was pursuing a career in the beauty industry.
Her friends spoke of her having an expensive car and had just spent £5000.00 on her teeth. I rather think Charlotte wanted to live the high life and to make 'easy ' money.

 

[Sarahlou]

Snipped.

Ah..that's rough.

I don't have much sympathy for this bonehead. But to be in a foreign prison thousands of miles from home and none of your family seems to even care has got to be crushing. Maybe Charlotte burned all her bridges a long time ago and that's why they aren't coming to her aid. But it's striking to contrast her situation to Bella's where the family is rallying around her.

There could be many reasons why her family might not be able to travel to Sri Lanka. It also doesn't mean they won't visit at some point.

 

[Skigh]

British 'drugs mule', 21, speaks from behind bars

Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London , was arrested in the capital Colombo last week after police discovered 46 kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Speaking to MailOnline from behind bars in the woman's ward of the notorious prison, Miss Lee said she had 'no idea' that there were drugs in her luggage when she set off for Sri Lanka.

She said: 'I had never seen them before. I didn't expect it all when they pulled me over at the airport. I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff.

'I had been in Bangkok the night before and had already packed my clothes because my flight was really early.

'So I left my bags in the hotel room and headed for the night out. As they were already packed I didn't check them again in the morning.


They must have planted it then.'

And she added: 'I know who did it.'

Miss Lee told us she had been working temporarily on a 'booze cruise' in Thailand but her 30-day visa was about to run out so she decided to take a trip to nearby Sri Lanka while she waited for her Thai visa to be renewed.

She decided to go to the country because it was relatively nearby - only a three-hour flight away - and she had never visited there before.

'I thought while I was waiting for the visa that I'd come to Sri Lanka.

 

[Sarahlou]

British 'drugs mule', 21, speaks from behind bars

Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London , was arrested in the capital Colombo last week after police discovered 46 kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Speaking to MailOnline from behind bars in the woman's ward of the notorious prison, Miss Lee said she had 'no idea' that there were drugs in her luggage when she set off for Sri Lanka.

She said: 'I had never seen them before. I didn't expect it all when they pulled me over at the airport. I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff.

'I had been in Bangkok the night before and had already packed my clothes because my flight was really early.

'So I left my bags in the hotel room and headed for the night out. As they were already packed I didn't check them again in the morning.


They must have planted it then.'

And she added: 'I know who did it.'

Miss Lee told us she had been working temporarily on a 'booze cruise' in Thailand but her 30-day visa was about to run out so she decided to take a trip to nearby Sri Lanka while she waited for her Thai visa to be renewed.

She decided to go to the country because it was relatively nearby - only a three-hour flight away - and she had never visited there before.

'I thought while I was waiting for the visa that I'd come to Sri Lanka.

Where's the laugh emote when you need it? I don't believe a word she says.

 

[iamshadow21]

Where's the laugh emote when you need it? I don't believe a word she says.

So, according to her own story, she went on the plane in her gross clubbing clothes, without changing, without brushing her teeth or hair or putting on deodorant? Because she'd already packed, right?

MOO

 

[musicaljoke]

So, according to her own story, she went on the plane in her gross clubbing clothes, without changing, without brushing her teeth or hair or putting on deodorant? Because she'd already packed, right?

MOO

And I guess it was a great coincidence that she chose the same destination as the person who used her bags to export the drugs.

 

[Skigh]

It is strange that she did not notice how much heavier her suitcases were !

 

[ch_13]

It is strange that she did not notice how much heavier her suitcases were !

Right. There were 46 kg (101 lbs) of cannabis in her luggage. She's really going to claim she was carrying around two fifty pound suitcases filled with drugs and never realized it? And coincidentally, that just happens to be the maximum weight allowance for luggage. I doubt she could even lift those bags by herself.