Young Flight Attendant Arrested for Smuggling Deadly New Drug

Charlotte May Lee, a 21-year-old former flight attendant from the United Kingdom, is currently facing the possibility of a 25-year prison term in Sri Lanka. Lee was arrested earlier this month at Bandaranaike Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for allegedly smuggling over 100 pounds of a deadly synthetic drug known as “kush.” The drug, believed to originate from West Africa, is linked to an estimated dozen deaths per week in Sierra Leone alone.

Lee, a resident of south London, was found with suitcases allegedly filled with the drug, which has a reported street value of $3.3 million. She has denied any knowledge of the drugs, with her attorney, Sampath Perera, stating that Lee claims the drugs were planted in her luggage without her knowledge or consent. Lee is currently being held in a prison north of Colombo under harsh conditions, including sleeping on a concrete floor. Despite her situation, she has managed to maintain contact with her family.

The drug seizure, which took place on May 12, is the largest of its kind in Sri Lankan history. If convicted of smuggling, Lee could face up to 25 years in prison. Prior to her arrest, Lee had been working in Thailand and was forced to leave due to her 30-day visa nearing expiration. She decided to fly to Sri Lanka for a three-hour flight while waiting for her Thai visa to be renewed.

Lee expressed surprise at the discovery of the drugs in her luggage, stating that she had never seen them before and had expected her suitcases to be filled with her personal belongings. She has also hinted at knowing the identity of the person who may have planted the drugs in her luggage, but has refrained from naming them.

Kush, a drug popular among young men, has severe side effects, including causing users to fall asleep while walking, collapse unexpectedly, and even wander into moving traffic. One of the ingredients in the drug is reportedly human bones, leading to an increase in grave robbing in Sierra Leone. The country’s president declared a state of emergency over the abuse of kush last year, and security has been heightened in graveyards to prevent the exhumation of skeletons.

Lee’s arrest coincided with the arrest of another young British woman facing drug smuggling charges. Bella Culley, from County Durham, northeast England, was arrested in Georgia on May 10 after allegedly flying to the capital, Tbilisi, via the United Arab Emirates with more than 30 pounds of marijuana and hashish in her luggage.

Sri Lankan authorities have noted a significant increase in drugs entering the country via Bangkok. A senior Sri Lanka customs officer stated that another passenger who had left Bangkok airport around the same time as Lee was arrested in another country, highlighting the growing issue of drug smuggling.