A former flight attendant who was caught trafficking more than 100 pounds of a dangerous new synthetic drug—reportedly made using human bones—now faces a possible prison sentence of up to 25 years in Sri Lanka.
Charlotte May Lee, 21, from the UK, was arrested earlier this month at Bandaranaike Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, after allegedly trying to smuggle suitcases filled with "kush"—a deadly new drug that originated in West Africa and is responsible for killing around a dozen every week in Sierra Leone. Lee, who is from South London, claims she had no idea the drugs—worth an estimated $3.3 million—were in her luggage.
Pleading Innocence
Lee claims they were planted without her knowledge, according to her attorney, Sampath Perera. She is currently being held in a prison north of Colombo under tough conditions, forced to sleep on a bare concrete floor. Perera added that Lee has managed to stay in contact with her family.
The drug bust on May 12 marks the largest recorded seizure of the relatively new substance in Sri Lanka's history. Customs officials proudly posed with the confiscated drugs, which could lead to a 25-year prison sentence for Lee if she is convicted of trafficking.
Lee had been employed in Thailand but had to leave the country when her 30-day visa was about to expire, according to her lawyer. While waiting for her visa renewal, she chose to take a short three-hour flight to Sri Lanka.
"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," Lee told the Daily Mail from prison.
She also hinted that she knew who had "planted" the drugs in her luggage but declined to reveal their identity. "They must have planted it then," she said. "I know who did it."
Kush, a drug most commonly used by young men, can lead to dangerous side effects such as falling asleep while walking, sudden collapses, and unknowingly stepping into oncoming traffic.
Made from Human Bones
One of the components of the drug reportedly is human bones, and the high demand for kush has driven grave robbers in Sierra Leone to disturb cemeteries in search of remains. In response to the growing crisis, the country's president declared a state of emergency over kush abuse last year.
Authorities have also beefed up security at burial sites to prevent bodies from being exhumed.
Branding kush a "death trap," Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio described the drug as an "existential crisis" threatening the future of his country.
Another young British woman, Bella Culley from County Durham in northeast England, was arrested on similar charges around the same time Charlotte May Lee left Bangkok.
Culley was arrested in Georgia on May 10 after allegedly arriving in the capital city, Tbilisi, from the United Arab Emirates with over 30 pounds of marijuana and hashish in her bags.
According to a statement from Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, she is accused of unlawfully acquiring, possessing, and importing a significant quantity of narcotics, including marijuana, into the country.
