Brit ‘drug mule' Charlotte Lee ‘washing by having glass of water tipped on her head' as grim new prison details revealed
The Brit claimed that she didn't know she was smuggling £1.2million worth of the synthetic drug kush into Sri Lanka before she was detained - and called her allegations 'made up'.
9
9
9
Emotional Charlotte May, 21, was told she may not be sentenced for another 12 months - and will face at least 20 years in the 'hellish' Welikada Prison if convicted.
Her pals believe she was besotted by a mystery man named Rocko - a key piece of information which could be crucial to her defence.
She will plead 'not guilty' at the next court hearing, which could take place in a fortnight, mates said.
Prosecutors will argue her experience as a stewardess with holiday airline TUI proves she, 'knew to check her luggage before a flight'.
Charlotte had work done on her teeth, hair extensions fitted, and bought designer bags and trainers, before she headed from the UK to Thailand on holiday to hook up with mystery man Rocko.
Her friends revealed that Charlotte is struggling behind bars after her arrest due to the shocking conditions.
The part-time nail technician told friends she has not been allowed medication.
And her cleaning regime consists of 'having a glass of water poured over her head'.
A friend said: 'She is struggling. We're so scared for her. She is a mess.'
She can only use her phone while on remand in jail in Colombo for 'emergency calls'.
Brit 'drug smuggler' Bella Culley 'starving' in ex-Soviet hell prison - as she reveals pregnancy craving to celeb lawyer
An unknown British man was waiting for Charlotte when she arrived on a flight to Colombo from Thailand last Monday.
She was nicked when cops found a record amount of deadly super-strong synthetic cannabinoid kush.
Fears have been growing that Charlotte's case could be linked to that of 18-year-old Bella May Culley, who was arrested in Georgia after allegedly being caught with a suitcase of cannabis.
Student nurse Bella had also told loved ones she was meeting a man in the Philippines who had moved to the country from the North East during her travels.
The backpacker's social media went on to show her clearly in the company of a male stranger - but he was never clearly pictured or named.
Her grandad William Culley, 80, revealed last Wednesday that she appears to have spent most of March in Thailand but also spent time in the Philippines with a man called 'Ross or Russ'.
Charlotte, of Chipstead in Surrey, claimed the drugs found in her suitcase were "planted" on her.
She said she had "no idea" that there were drugs in her luggage when she left Bangkok.
She claimed: "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.
9
9
9
"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."
The young Brit believes the huge amount of illegal substances were planted in her luggage in a planned move by dangerous dealers in Southeast Asia.
And Charlotte said: "I know who did it."
Kush, a highly addictive synthetic drug, has claimed the lives of thousands in West Africa where it first appeared in 2022 - and is spreading globally at an alarming rate.
The dirt-cheap drug is cut with an array of additives including acetone, the opioid tramadol and formalin, a toxic chemical commonly used to preserve bodies in mortuaries.
Why Brit backpackers are prime targets, Thai cop reveals
By Patrick Harrington, Foreign News Reporter
Police Lieutenant Colonel Arun Musikim, Deputy Inspector of the Surat Thani province police force, said: 'Cases involving British nationals smuggling cannabis have been around for a while.
'There is a lot of cannabis grown on Thailand's islands in the south because the climate is suitable and it is legal. A lot of gangs are attracted to this.
'There are now various smuggling methods that we have seen. Some carry it themselves, some hire backpackers, and some send it via mail.
'This year, there have been many cases we have intercepted. Most involve British and Malaysian nationals.
'It's easy for British citizens to travel as they can enter Thailand and return to the UK without needing a visa.
'Most of the smugglers are people hired to carry the cannabis, similar to how tourists might smuggle tax-free goods.
'They're usually unemployed individuals from the UK. The gangs offer them flights, pocket money and hotel stays, just to come and travel and take a bag back home with them.
'These people often have poor social standing at home and are looking for ways to earn quick money. They find them through friends or on social media.
'Many will go to festivals or parties while they are here, just like they are having a normal trip abroad.
'They are told that it is easy and they will not be caught. Then the amount the organisers can sell the cannabis for in the UK is much higher than it costs in Thailand.
'Police suspect that there are multiple employers and groups receiving the drugs on the other end. The cannabis then enters the UK market.
'We are being vigilant to ensure there are no routes out of the country.'
It comes as a friend of Charlotte's revealed she is aware of the similar case of Bella Culley.
However, the two youngsters have never met, and Charlotte "doesn't know if there is any connection" to her own ordeal.
Shocking images published by customs officials in Sri Lanka show how drugs had been allegedly stuffed into Charlotte's luggage in large vacuum-sealed bags.
Bella's alleged stash was also discovered in stacked, airtight packages pointing to a similar-style operation.
And in another twist, the two had individually told their loved ones they planned on meeting a mystery man during their travels.
Bella revealed to her family she was meeting an unknown man in the Philippines who had moved to the country from the North East.
Sri Lanka's maximum security Welikada Prison is notoriously 'hellish', with 650 women in a ward designed for 150 cons.
Riots have erupted due to poor conditions, including the sweltering heat.
A former partner of Charlotte arrested in connection with allegations that he mistreated her is now expected to have his case dropped.
The tattooed muscle man released a video dancing a jig - seemingly celebrating her shocking arrest and the dramatic turn of events.
9
9
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai's lawyer defends basic rights in trial's final stretch
HONG KONG, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The lawyer for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai argued on Wednesday that supporting individual rights is not a crime in the final stretch of a closely watched and years-long national security trial. Lai, 77, who founded the pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He faces a maximum life sentence. The trial is widely seen as a test for judicial independence in the financial hub under national security laws that were imposed by China in 2020 in response to mass pro-democracy demonstrations. Lai, a longstanding critic of the Chinese Communist Party, is one of the most high-profile figures to face prosecution under the law. His trial has been condemned by some countries like the United States as politically motivated. Hong Kong and Chinese authorities say Lai is being given a fair trial. Lai's lawyer Robert Pang, who began his final legal submission on Wednesday, said Lai had been defending and exercising basic rights. "It is not wrong to support freedom of expression. It is not wrong to support human rights," Pang told the three-judge panel that is expected to deliver a verdict later this year once this current round of final legal submissions is concluded after around one week. "It is not wrong to try to persuade the government to change its policy. Nor is it wrong not to love a particular administration or even the country, because ... you can't force someone to think in one way or another," Pang added. One of the judges, Esther Toh, said that this was not what the prosecution argued. "It's not wrong not to love the government, but if you do that by certain nefarious means, then it's wrong," Toh said. Pang also disputed the prosecution's citing of 161 articles published by the Apple Daily between April 1, 2019 and June 4 2021 as seditious, saying they were "insufficient to draw any inference" of a conspiracy. The prosecution alleges that Lai colluded with overseas officials including those in the first Trump administration to impose sanctions or conduct hostile activities against Chinese and Hong Kong authorities, including trade embargoes. Earlier on Wednesday, the prosecution wrapped up its final submission, saying there was "overwhelming evidence" to show Lai was the "mastermind" of the alleged conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. It added that Lai had done nothing to stop illegal activities engaged in by other co-conspirators and through advocacy groups critical of China, such as "Stand With Hong Kong" and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). Lai, whose health is fragile according to his family, was provided with a heart monitor and medication after the court was told that he had suffered heart "palpitations". Over 320 people have been arrested under the national security laws so far, including prominent activist Joshua Wong who is serving a 4-year, 8-month prison term for subversion, and now faces a fresh security charge.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Woman arrested for smuggling cocaine and ecstasy into Bali using sex toy and underwear
A Peruvian woman has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine and ecstasy into Bali hidden inside a sex toy and her underwear. The 42-year-old woman, identified by authorities only by the initials NS, arrived at the international airport in Bali from Qatar on 12 August, where she was stopped by customs officials. "The customs officers suspected her behaviour, and after consulting with the police, they did a further check on her," Bali police narcotics unit director Radiant, identified by only his first name, said at a press conference. Upon searching the woman, officers say they found 1.4kg of cocaine and 43 ecstasy pills – worth a combined $70,000 (£52,000) – hidden about her person, including inside a sex toy and in her underwear. "The narcotics were hidden in six plastic packages wrapped in black duct tape inside a green bra, three similar packages in black underwear, and a sex toy containing drugs, which was inserted into her body," Mr Radiant said, according to BBC News. The Peruvian national told law enforcement said she was hired by a man who she met on dark web in April, and told to transport the drugs into Indonesia. She was promised $20,000 in return, said the officer. The woman took a flight from Barcelona to Indonesia, with a layover at Doha, before arriving in Bali on 12 August. She has been charged under Indonesia's stringent narcotics laws and could face a maximum punishment of the death penalty. The southeast Asian nation has some of the world's harshest laws around drug smuggling. About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, the latest figures from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections show. The country's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016. In 2015, two members of the so-called 'Bali nine' group of convicted drug smugglers from Australia were executed by firing squad, after the group were arrested in 2005 attempting to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia. Earlier this year British man Thomas Parker was sentenced to 10 months in prison in Bali for drug offences, after being arrested for collecting a package that contained 1kg of MDMA. And last month, three British nationals narrowly avoided the death penalty after they were found guilty of smuggling cocaine disguised as packets of Angel Delight into Indonesia.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Peruvian woman accused of trying to smuggle cocaine into Bali using sex toy
A Peruvian woman has been arrested in Bali after allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine into the Indonesian resort island using a sex toy and hiding drugs in her underwear, police said. The 42-year-old, identified only by her initials NS, arrived at Bali's international airport from Qatar on 12 August when authorities became suspicious. 'The customs officers suspected her behaviour, and after consulting with the police, they did a further check on her,' Bali police narcotics unit director, Radiant, who like many Indonesians has one name, told a press conference. The officers found 1.4kg (3.1lbs) of cocaine inside a sex toy hidden in her genitals and in her underwear. Police also accused her of smuggling dozens of ecstasy pills. The Peruvian woman told the police she was hired to transport the drugs to Indonesia by a man she met on the dark web in April in return for $20,000, said Radiant. The woman has been charged under Indonesia's harsh narcotics law and could face the death penalty if found guilty. Last month, a Bali court sentenced a 46-year-old Argentine to seven years in prison after she was found guilty of smuggling 244 grams of cocaine wrapped with a condom that she hid inside her genitals. Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws. There are dozens of traffickers on death row in the country, including a 69-year old British woman convicted of smuggling cocaine. Indonesia last carried out executions in 2016, killing one Indonesian and three Nigerian drug convicts by firing squad.
