A young woman from the UK has been arrested in Sri Lanka after customs officers found a large amount of illegal drugs in her luggage. The 21-year-old, identified by media reports as Charlotte May Lee, is a former flight attendant from London.
She was stopped by airport officials on May 12 after arriving in Colombo from Thailand. Officers say they found around 46 kilograms (about 101 pounds) of a drug called kush in two of her suitcases. Kush is a synthetic drug that contains strong opioid substances and can be very harmful.
"This might be the largest drug seizure at Colombo Airport in recent years," said Sri Lankan Customs officer Seevali Arukgoda.
Charlotte is currently being held in a prison near the airport. Her lawyer, Sampath Perera, said she is staying in touch with her family and getting daily visits from his legal team to ensure her safety and mental health.
Speaking from prison, Charlotte told the Daily Mail she did not know the drugs were in her bags. She said she believes someone planted them in her luggage while she was staying at a hotel in Bangkok. “I had never seen them before. I didn’t expect it at all when they stopped me at the airport,” she said.
If found guilty, she could be sentenced to life in prison under Sri Lankan law.
Two More Foreigners Caught in Separate Drug Cases
Sri Lankan customs also reported two other drug smuggling cases this month.
On May 16, a 33-year-old man from India was arrested at Kankesanthurai Port in the north. He was carrying about 4 kilograms of kush. Then, on May 18, a 21-year-old man from Thailand was caught at Colombo Airport with nearly 8 kilograms of the same drug.
Both men have been handed over to anti-drug police for further investigation. Authorities say that all three suspects could face serious punishment if convicted.
Sri Lanka is often used as a middle point by international drug traffickers because of its location in the Indian Ocean. Large drug shipments are sometimes moved through the country before reaching other destinations.
Drug Kush’s Danger and Sri Lanka’s Growing Crackdown
Kush, the drug involved in all three cases, has caused serious problems in other parts of the world. In West Africa, especially Sierra Leone, kush has become a major public health issue. In 2014, the country’s president called it a national crisis.
Sri Lankan authorities have been working hard to stop drug trafficking. Last October, a court sentenced 10 men from Iran to life in prison for trying to bring more than 111 kilograms of heroin into the country in 2016. Another group of nine Iranians also received life sentences in a separate case in 2023.
These recent arrests show that Sri Lanka is stepping up efforts to stop drug smuggling. The country continues to face challenges due to its role as a common route for international drug networks.
