Brit 'drug mule' could face 25 years in Sri Lanka jail over 46kg suitcase haul
Charlotte May Lee has appeared in court after £1.2 million of the synthetic cannabis Kush was allegedly found in her suitcase when she landed in the country.
A former TUI air stewardess accused of smuggling £1.2 million of synthetic cannabis into Sri Lanka has appeared in court. Charlotte May Lee, from south London, was arrested last week after 46kg of the super-strength substance was allegedly found in her suitcase.
The 21-year-old Brit faces up to 25 years in a maximum-security prison if convicted, but claims she was set up. Ms Lee was tearful as she was escorted into a packed courtroom by several police officers, and was briefly held in a cell before being moved to the witness box.
The nearly 50kg of cannabis was dramatically wheeled into the courtroom as evidence. Ms Lee is due to appear in court again in two weeks, reports the Mirror.
She claims she was duped by a British man of Pakistani origin, known only as "Dan", who bought her plane ticket and a packed suitcase. He allegedly gave her money for excess baggage fees and told her one of the bags contained clothing.
"Dan" reportedly told Ms Lee that Sri Lanka was a "lovely place for a holiday" and they would have a "wonderful time" together, but said he had to stay behind in Bangkok to visit a friend before joining her.
Speaking from behind bars to MailOnline, the British woman insisted she had "no idea" there were drugs inside her suitcase, alleging they must have been "planted".
She explained: "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 out for the night.
"As they were already packed I didn't check them again in the morning. They must have planted it then."
Further claims suggest she stated she had never been to Sri Lanka prior, although police believe she visited in January.
Sri Lankan police recently suggested she was "in a lot of trouble".
As the probe goes on, a police insider revealed to journalists: "This woman is in a lot of trouble and will not help herself by failing to tell the truth.
"The investigation is only just beginning and we will be looking closely at her previous visit, who she was with and where she went."
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