Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, was arrested after authorities allegedly found 46 kg of cannabis in her suitcases on arrival from Thailand.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The former flight attendant told the BBC she had travelled from Bangkok to Colombo to renew her Thai visa.[1] Ms Lee has not yet been charged, denies knowing about the drugs, and could face up to 25 years if found guilty.[1] She is being held in a prison in Negombo, a city just north of the capital.[1][3] She shares a cell with five other women and sleeps on a thin mattress on the concrete floor using her clothes as a pillow.[1]
She made a procedural court appearance on Friday while the investigation into her alleged offences continues.[1][7] Authorities wheeled a large brown box containing the alleged cannabis found in her luggage into court.[1] The narcotics division of the Sri Lanka police told the court they intend to file an update on the investigation.[1] Her lawyer Sampath Perera asked whether the alleged drugs had been examined to confirm they were an illegal substance.[1][3] The magistrate ordered the material to be tested with a report submitted as soon as possible.[1]
Perera said the next step is a bail application for Lee which could take three months.[1][3] Under Sri Lankan law people being held on remand must appear before a judge every 14 days.[1][3] She is held on suspicion of possession and smuggling with her next appearance on 13 July.[1] A senior Customs Narcotics Control Unit officer said the find at Bandaranaike Airport was the largest kush seizure in the airport’s history.[8][5] Authorities said bags stuffed with drugs were found in two large suitcases.[8][2] She was arrested on 12 May after arriving from Bangkok without rechecking her luggage.[8] The Magistrate ordered that the British national female suspect remain in remand custody until September 3.[9]
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was supporting a British woman arrested in Sri Lanka and was in contact with her family and the local authorities.[2]
Her next hearing was listed for 13 June.[3] She had not yet been allowed e-visits including video calls with family and friends.[3]
The Guardian reports that Lee flew alone from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, as did Bella May Culley, who was arrested a day earlier in Georgia, and that investigators may examine a link between the two cases.[4] The Guardian says Lee, described as a former cabin attendant, could face a 25-year sentence if found guilty.[4]
Arriving at the Negombo Magistrates Court on Friday, Lee wore a white dress, was accompanied by two police officers and the court heard that critical evidence, including forensic analysis, had not yet been submitted.[7] Lee had not been formally indicted, and the Attorney General’s department will file charges in the High Court only after all reports, including the forensic analysis, have been submitted in court.[7] Lee’s lawyer Sampath Perera told ITV News that she was “not emotionally perfect” but was trying her “very best” given the circumstances, and that her family was being “very supportive” and “cooperative” while in “big pain” over her arrest.[7] Perera said he had not heard from the Foreign Office about support for Lee and did not know whether her family had been in contact with the British government.[7] ITV News reported that customs described the haul allegedly found in Lee’s luggage as its largest drug seizure to date and valued it at £1.2 million.[7]
Sources close to the investigation estimated the haul’s street value at about 460 million Sri Lankan rupees (roughly £1.5 million), reportedly destined for high-end local buyers.[5]
A 33-year-old Indian man was arrested at the northern seaport of Kankesanthurai on 16 May carrying four kilograms of kush.[6]
