Latest news with #Negombo
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
British woman accused of drug offences appears in Sri Lanka court
A British woman accused of attempting to smuggle a large quantity of cannabis into Sri Lanka has appeared in court in the May Lee, 21, from south London, was arrested earlier this month after authorities allegedly found 46kg of the drug in her suitcases when she arrived on a flight from Thailand. She has not yet been charged, but has previously denied knowing the alleged drugs were in her luggage. If found guilty, she could face up to 25 years behind to the BBC from prison before her court appearance, Ms Lee said she had travelled from Bangkok to the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo to renew her Thai visa. The former flight attendant arrived at Negombo Magistrate's Court on Friday wearing a white knee-length dress, her long hair parted to the side. She was making a procedural court appearance while the investigation into her alleged offences continues. Ms Lee was held in a cell at the back of the courtroom before being brought to the witness box. She was visibly upset as she stood with her hands crossed behind her back, facing the wheeled in a large brown box containing the alleged 46kg of cannabis found in Ms Lee's luggage. The narcotics division of the Sri Lanka police told the court they intend to file an update on the investigation. Ms Lee's lawyer, Sampath Perera, asked if the alleged drugs had been examined by the relevant government authorities to ascertain if the materials were in fact an illegal substance. The magistrate ordered it to be tested and for a report to be submitted to the court as soon as possible. Speaking to the BBC from a prison an hour outside of Colombo, Ms Lee appeared to be in good spirits. She described her living conditions, saying she shares a cell with five other women and sleeps on a thin mattress on the concrete floor, using whatever clothes she has as a pillow. That is where she spends most of her day, she said, although she does get to go outside for fresh air."I can't compare it to anything," she said. "I have never been to prison and I've never been to Sri Lanka. This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time."Ms Lee said she tries not to dwell too much on her current predicament."I am not trying to think about it. If I think, then I feel bad. I'll still rather not process it."Ms Lee said she is concerned for the other women who are also in prison."There are people from so many different countries who have been here for two years, two-and-a-half years. And it's still just waiting and no-one actually knows anything."She has managed to find other English-speaking women with whom she has developed a kinship. But she has not been able to speak with her family since her to the BBC from outside the courthouse after the hearing, Mr Perera said the next step is to make a bail application for Ms Lee, which could take three Sri Lankan law, people being held on remand must appear before a judge every 14 days. Ms Lee is being held on suspicion of keeping illegal drugs in her possession and drug smuggling. Her next court appearance will be on 13 July. Additional reporting by Charlotte Scarr
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
British woman accused of smuggling deadly drug made of human bones
A British woman has been arrested in Sri Lanka on suspicion of smuggling 46 kilograms of a deadly new synthetic drug into Sri Lanka. Charlotte May Lee, 21, was detained after allegedly carrying suitcases packed full of kush through Colombo's Bandaranaike airport earlier this month. Officials said the discovery was the airport's largest ever seizure of the drug, which is most commonly used in west Africa and reportedly made with human bones. The stash has a reported street value of £1.5 million. Ms Lee, a former flight attendant from south London, has denied the accusations and claimed that the drugs were planted there without her knowledge. She could face up to 25 years in prison if found guilty. Her lawyers said she is being held in a prison in the city of Negombo, north of the capital, where she said she is facing hard conditions and sleeping on a concrete floor. A legal representative told the BBC that his team is visiting her daily in the prison to ensure her wellbeing and offer support. She is reportedly in contact with her family. Ms Lee had been in Bangkok and travelled to Sri Lanka because her visa was due to expire. She claimed that she packed her bag the night before her flight and that someone 'must have planted it [the drugs] then'. She told the MailOnline 'I know who did it', but did not elaborate. She added that she did not check her luggage before boarding the flight to Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. She said: 'I had never seen them [the drugs] 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.' A senior customs officer in Sri Lanka told the BBC that there has been a large increase in drugs being smuggled into Sri Lanka via Bangkok recently, which they said was a 'real nuisance'. The officer added: 'Another passenger who had left Bangkok airport, almost at the same time, was arrested in another country. We arrested this lady [Ms Lee] based on profiling.' Kush, a relatively new synthetic narcotic, is most commonly used in west Africa and is estimated to kill around a dozen people a week in Sierra Leone. The drug, typically consumed by men between the ages of 18 to 25, causes individuals to fall asleep while walking, collapse unexpectedly, hit their heads on hard surfaces and wander into moving traffic. It has been reported that one of the drug's many ingredients is human bones and that security has been tightened in graveyards in Sierra Leone to stop people digging up skeletons. The president declared a state of emergency over abuse of the substance in 2024. Groups of mostly young men sitting on street corners with limbs swollen by kush abuse is a common sight in the former British colony. Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone's president, said the drug posed an 'existential crisis' and called it a 'death trap'. It is thought that Ms Lee left Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport days after the departure of another British woman from the same airport who was recently detained on drug charges in Georgia. Bella Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, allegedly smuggled 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish into the Caucasus country. Investigations are underway as to where the narcotics, found in her travel bag, came from. Ms Culley could face up to 20 years in prison or a life sentence if found guilty. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Telegraph
British woman accused of smuggling deadly drug made of human bones
A British woman has been arrested in Sri Lanka on suspicion of smuggling 46 kilograms of a deadly new synthetic drug into Sri Lanka. Charlotte May Lee, 21, was detained after allegedly carrying suitcases packed full of kush through Colombo's Bandaranaike airport earlier this month. Officials said the discovery was the airport's largest ever seizure of the drug, which is most commonly used in west Africa and reportedly made with human bones. The stash has a reported street value of £1.5 million. Ms Lee, a former flight attendant from south London, has denied the accusations and claimed that the drugs were planted there without her knowledge. She could face up to 25 years in prison if found guilty. Her lawyers said she is being held in a prison in the city of Negombo, north of the capital, where she said she is facing hard conditions and sleeping on a concrete floor. A legal representative told the BBC that his team is visiting her daily in the prison to ensure her wellbeing and offer support. She is reportedly in contact with her family. Ms Lee had been in Bangkok and travelled to Sri Lanka because her visa was due to expire. She claimed that she packed her bag the night before her flight and that someone 'must have planted it [the drugs] then'. She told the MailOnline 'I know who did it', but did not elaborate. She added that she did not check her luggage before boarding the flight to Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. She said: 'I had never seen them [the drugs] 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.' A senior customs officer in Sri Lanka told the BBC that there has been a large increase in drugs being smuggled into Sri Lanka via Bangkok recently, which they said was a 'real nuisance'. The officer added: 'Another passenger who had left Bangkok airport, almost at the same time, was arrested in another country. We arrested this lady [Ms Lee] based on profiling.' Kush, a relatively new synthetic narcotic, is most commonly used in west Africa and is estimated to kill around a dozen people a week in Sierra Leone. The drug, typically consumed by men between the ages of 18 to 25, causes individuals to fall asleep while walking, collapse unexpectedly, hit their heads on hard surfaces and wander into moving traffic. State of emergency declared It has been reported that one of the drug's many ingredients is human bones and that security has been tightened in graveyards in Sierra Leone to stop people digging up skeletons. The president declared a state of emergency over abuse of the substance in 2024. Groups of mostly young men sitting on street corners with limbs swollen by kush abuse is a common sight in the former British colony. Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone's president, said the drug posed an 'existential crisis' and called it a 'death trap'. It is thought that Ms Lee left Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport days after the departure of another British woman from the same airport who was recently detained on drug charges in Georgia. Bella Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, allegedly smuggled 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish into the Caucasus country. Investigations are underway as to where the narcotics, found in her travel bag, came from. Ms Culley could face up to 20 years in prison or a life sentence if found guilty.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE British 'drugs mule', 21, speaks from behind bars in Sri Lanka hellhole prison to reveal HER side of the story - and says she hasn't eaten for two days because jail food 'is too spicy'
A young British woman facing years locked in a grim Sri Lankan jail after being caught with £1.2 million worth of cannabis has told of her despair – and insisted she has been set up. 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. Miss Lee, a former cabin crew worker, had just arrived in Sri Lanka on a flight from Bangkok when she was arrested at Bandaranaike Airport and taken to custody last Monday. She is now being held in Negombo Prison, north of the capital, while she waits to hear her fate. 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. 'They [the people she believed planted the drugs] were supposed to meet me here. But now I'm here - stuck in this jail.' After her arrest, Miss Lee was initially held at the Police Narcotics Bureau for seven days. She says she was forced to sleep on a sofa that had bed bugs with a security guard watching her the whole time. 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 Then on Sunday she was brought to Negombo Magistrates Court where she was given remanded in custody for a further 14 days while she awaits further hearings. At this point she was transferred to Negombo Prison where she still remains, stuck in her crowded cell for 22 hours a day and only let out to eat and briefly stretch her legs. And it was here that she spoke to MailOnline today to highlight the 'awful' conditions i in the prison - revealing she has not eaten any food at all for two days because the prison meals have been making her ill. She said: 'I am trying my best to stay positive because what else can you do? 'But it is hard. I feel as though I have no human rights here. There are no beds, no blankets. And where you sleep is like a long corridor with lots of other women. 'I am sleeping on a concrete floor - literally. All I have is my jumper as a pillow. 'There is a ceiling fan but it doesn't really work and there's a TV but that also barely works. I only have this one pair of clothes, nothing else to change into and I'm not being allowed my medication for ADHD. 'The only thing they give are sleeping tablets that properly knock you out. 'The shower is not really a shower, it's just a bucket that you pour over yourself but they don't give you anything for that. 'They put you in an alleyway with a bunch of other women, that's it.' 'You are only allowed two or three hours outside in the sun a day, occasionally longer if there are a lot of women in court that day. 'I've not eaten in two days because the food is just too spicy for me. 'I have told my lawyers - I have three of them - that I need different food. They said they would sort that but they still haven't. I don't know why. 'Fortunately, some of the girls speak English and have shared biscuits and things like that with me, which is nice. 'All the other British people being held here are men, so I don't get to see them. 'There is no communication. You are told nothing. I couldn't arrange an e-visit with my family or even write a letter.' Negombo Prison is one of the largest in Sri Lanka with the majority of inmates being men - with a smaller side wing for women like Charlotte. Miss Lee added: 'Some people are nice, some people are not so nice. 'You can't trust many people - even the lawyers. I was being held in the narcotics unit until Sunday and now I will be here until my next court case. 'They don't care about you. I came in with nothing and have nothing but luckily other people have stuff here they can share with me.' The Londoner, who had been training to become an eyelash technician, attended Negombo Magistrates Court on Monday. There she was accused of two charges, one of possessing illegal drugs and another of importing illegal drugs into Sri Lanka. A legal source told MailOnline: 'When Charlotte arrived in court she seemed completely lost. 'She was crying a lot and was all on her own. It looked like she didn't have any idea about what was going on. 'It's unclear what will happen to her now. She may well be sent to Welikada Prison in Colombo.' Welikada Prison in Colombo is the biggest, maximum security jail in Sri Lanka, accommodating both men and women. The prison has been hit with a number of scandals including riots in 2012 which that left 27 dead. It has been described as 'Hell' for women - with maggots being reportedly found food and rats scuttling around extremely overcrowded cells. The haul of drugs, which according to the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) was the largest ever amount of illegal substances found in the airport, were intended for 'high-end local buyers'. Footage provided to MailOnline shows two large suitcases and what appears to be parcels of drugs alongside a group of narcotics detectives who uncovered the alleged smuggling. In the background of the clip, a British woman's voice can be heard laughing and saying 'it's not that, don't worry'. In another partially auditable clip she can be heard saying 'it looks like drugs to me' before later adding 'and I told them I was 21'. Pictures from the scene show six officers in the airport standing over two large suitcases and dozens of large vacuum packed bags of the drug. 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. The 'massive consignment' is worth the equivalent of £1.2 million in Sri Lankan rupees. Meanwhile the Foreign Office in the UK has confirmed that it is supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and is in contact with her family, as well as local authorities. According to Miss Lee's friends she has been trying to post updates on her plight on Snapchat. One woman, close to the cabin crew member turned lash technician, said that she was shocked when she heard the allegation - insisting Miss Lee was a 'nice girl' and not a criminal. The friend, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'I couldn't believe it. Charlotte is a hard worker and a grafter not a drug smuggler.' Another friend said: 'I am in total shock. 'She is a really nice girl, there were no red flags or anything. 'We saw clips of the arrest and we could hear an English woman, who sounded very much like Charlotte in the background.' Another added: 'She's been told that if convicted, because of the size of the drugs haul, she is looking at between 20 and 25 years in jail. British Embassy staff warned her she's going nowhere soon.' Miss Lee had previously worked as a cabin crew member for TUI, yet friends have said this was only a 'summer contract'. Her social media accounts show her appearing to have a great time working for the travel company, posing in her stewardess uniform and even in the cockpit of one of the planes. Photos shared on her social media show her living a typical life of a young woman in London in her early twenties - out drinking at the pub with friends or dancing at nightclubs. Miss Lee, according to friends, first flew out to Thailand in April to celebrate her 21st birthday with her older sister who was meeting her from Australia, where she now lives. Following the holiday, Miss Lee is said to have returned to Coulsdon, telling mates that she 'loved Thailand and wanted to work out there'. She mentioned around four weeks ago that 'she had a job on a boat' in the south-east Asian country but according to her friend did not mention any immediate plans of returning. Yet last week, the young woman began posting pictures again of beautiful white sand beaches and selfies of her partying abroad. And on Monday, the day of her arrest, she had posted a TikTok of herself on a plane, wearing a facemask, as she flew over a pretty island. She tagged the location of the video as Bangkok. The incident comes just days after a British teenager was arrested in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi after allegedly arriving from Thailand carrying 14kg of cannabis in her luggage. Bella May Culley, 18, is now facing life in prison in the former Soviet country after being accused of illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics. The youngster from Billingham, Country Durham, was believed to have gone missing in Thailand before she was detained 3,700 miles away at Tbilisi International Airport on the charges. Concerns had been raised that the two cases were related as both young women left Bangkok airport on the same day. But Miss Lee told MailOnline she did not know Ms Culley, who has been remanded in custody until her next appearance on July 1. Miss Lee and Miss Culley, who both flew out of Bangkok on Monday, were arrested in the countries within hours of each other, meaning the cases could be related. The FCDO said with regards to Miss Lee's case: 'We are supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.'
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
British woman accused of smuggling drugs into Sri Lanka in suitcase
A British woman has been arrested in Sri Lanka after police allegedly found 101lbs (46kg) of the synthetic drug kush in her suitcase. Custom officers posed for pictures with bags of drugs they accuse Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, of attempting to smuggle into the country earlier this month. The former flight attendant denies knowing there were drugs in her suitcase and says she believes they were planted there. Ms Lee is being held in a prison north of the south Asian country's capital, Colombo, and is contact with her family, her lawyer told the BBC. She could face up to 25 years in prison if found guilty. Her legal representative, Sampath Perera, told the BBC his team was visiting her daily in prison in the city of Negombo, to provide support and monitor her wellbeing. A senior officer in the Sri Lanka Customs Narcotics Control Unit said the seizure at Colombo's Bandaranaike Airport on 5 May was the biggest in its history. Ms Lee told Mail Online on Wednesday: "I had never seen them [the drugs] 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."She told the paper she had been in Thai capital, Bangkok, prior to the flight, and packed her suitcase in her hotel room before heading out for the night. "They must have planted it then," she said. "I know who did it."She did not check her bag again before heading to Colombo, where she was arrested on 12 May, said Ms Lee. Ms Lee went to Sri Lanka as her visa was about to expire and she wanted a trip somewhere nearby before heading back to Thailand, she told the newspaper. She added that she faces harsh conditions in the prison, including sleeping on a concrete floor. Ms Lee is said to have flown from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport around the same time as another British woman, Bella Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, who is being held in Georgia on suspicion of drug offences.A senior customs officer in Sri Lanka told the BBC: "On the same day, another passenger who had left Bangkok airport, almost at the same time, was arrested in another country. We arrested this lady [Ms Lee] based on profiling."He said there had been a massive increase in drugs coming via Bangkok into Sri Lanka. "This has been a real nuisance."Ms Culley could face up to 20 years in jail or life imprisonment if found guilty. She is being detained before trial while the authorities investigates where 26lbs (12kg) of marijuana and 4.4lbs (2kg) of hashish found in a travel bag came from, and whether she was planning on handing it over to someone else.
