British ‘drug mule’, 21, tears up in Sri Lankan court as she accused of smuggling £1.2m of synthetic cannabis
30 May 2025, 15:06 | Updated: 30 May 2025, 15:11
A British former air stewardess appeared in a Sri Lanka court in tears today as she is accused of being a ‘drugs mule’.
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Charlotte May Lee, 21, is facing up to 25 years in jail after allegedly being caught with £1.2 million worth of cannabis.
After her arrest in Colombo earlier this month, Ms Lee, from Coulsdon, south London, teared up at a court in the Sri Lankan capital, according to The Sun.
The part-time beautician, who formerly worked for airline TUI, reportedly stood in the witness box after being escorted in handcuffs by local officers.
Read more: Father of Brit teen accused of drug smuggling vows to stay in Georgia ‘as long as it takes’
Police also wheeled the 46kg cannabis load into the court as part of their investigation, it has been claimed.
They reportedly found the 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in Ms Lee's suitcase after she landed in Sri Lanka on a flight from Bangkok.
She is being held in Negombo Prison, north of Colombo and is expected to return to court in two weeks.
Last week, Ms Lee spoke behind bars to claim she had been ‘set up’ and had ‘no idea’ the drugs were in her bag.
She told the MailOnline: "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.”
Ms Lee claimed the drugs were “planted” and that she knew the identity of the alleged culprit.
She also described the conditions of the prison and claimed that she was stuck in the cell for 22 hours a day and only let out to eat and periodically stretch her legs.
Ms Lee continued: “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."
Ms Lee complained she had not eaten in two days because the food was “just too spicy.”
The Brit, who had been training to become an eyelash technician, is reportedly accused of two charges: one of possessing illegal drugs and another of importing illegal drugs into Sri Lanka.
The UK Foreign Office previously 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.
This month, fellow Brit Bella May Culley, 18, was also arrested on suspicion of smuggling cannabis.
She allegedly carried 30 pounds of the drug into Georgia, where she was arrested at Tbilisi international airport.
Ms Culley, from Billingham on Teeside, is currently being detained for 55 days in the country’s only female prison located 45 minutes away from the ex-Soviet capital.
