Crime Ex-Air Hostess Claims £1.5M Drug Stitch-Up in Sri Lanka

[snoop1130]

Photo courtesy of The Sun

 

Charlotte May Lee, once a British air hostess, is at the centre of a harrowing legal ordeal after her arrest in Sri Lanka. Authorities at Colombo airport discovered 46 kilogrammes of high-grade synthetic cannabis within her luggage, alleged to be worth an astonishing £1.5 million. Lee, however, insists this was a setup, claiming she had no idea the drugs were in her suitcase.

 

The 21-year-old, hailing from Coulsdon, South London, has resolutely declared her innocence from Negombo Prison, where she currently endures harsh conditions. In her account, the drugs were concealed in her suitcase without her knowledge. "I didn’t expect it at all when they pulled me over at the airport," she recounted. "I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff.”

 

The sequence of events began in Thailand, where Lee had been working on a "booze cruise." With her visa in Thailand due for renewal, she decided to briefly visit Sri Lanka. The night before her early morning flight, she packed her bags but left them unattended in her hotel room while she went out for a night on the town. She did not recheck her luggage the next day, assuming everything was as she left it.

 

Lee believes that during her absence, the drugs were placed in her luggage by unidentified individuals. "They must have planted it then. I know who did it," she stated, though she has not disclosed any names publicly. Her arrest came as a massive shock and has thrust her into an unimaginable predicament.

 

After a week spent at the Police Narcotics Bureau, Lee was transferred to Negombo Prison, infamous for its dire conditions. She described her time there as "awful," painting a picture of stark deprivation. "I feel as though I have no human rights here. There are no beds, no blankets," she detailed. In place of a comfortable sleeping area, she sleeps on a concrete floor using her jumper as a makeshift pillow. The prison reportedly doesn’t provide her with her prescribed ADHD medication, offering only strong sleeping pills instead.

 

Photo of Charlotte May Lee and the alleged stash of drugs in her suitcase courtesy of LBC

 

The environment in the prison is grim, with sparse amenities and barely functioning utilities. "There’s a ceiling fan but it doesn’t really work, and there’s a TV but that also barely works," Lee mentioned, underscoring the austere living conditions, which include having only one set of clothes.

 

Adding to her woes, Lee claimed that those who allegedly arranged the drug drop-off were supposed to meet her in Sri Lanka, a meeting that never occurred. Instead, she is left grappling with the legal system, aware that her ordeal could result in a lengthy sentence.

 

Her plight has reached the British officials, with a spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirming their involvement. “We are supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and are in contact with her family and the local authorities,” they stated, highlighting the international dimension of Lee's case.

 

As the legal proceedings unfold, Lee's story serves as a stark reminder of the complexities and dangers that can befall travellers, especially concerning drug trafficking charges, which carry severe penalties abroad. The unfolding situation leaves many questions unanswered as Lee seeks a resolution to her dire circumstances.

 

RELATED TOPIC

Ex-Air Hostess Charlotte Lee Arrested for £1.5M Cannabis in Sri Lanka

Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1361205-ex-air-hostess-charlotte-lee-arrested-for-£15m-cannabis-in-sri-lanka/

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-21

 

 

 

[Geoffggi]

46 Kilo is a large amount & she didn't notice the difference to her normal luggage - Hard to believe

[WHansen]

I find this hard to believe, both cases would be 25kg each, she must have noticed the weight.

When she got ready for the flight the next morning did she wear all the same clothes she had on the night before or did she wear a new outfit, if a new outfit,  she must have put her dirty clothes in one of the bags containing 23kg of weed and somehow not noticed all her original luggage had been removed. Could possibly have put everything in a carry on bag i suppose.

A small lady would really struggle to lift 25kg in each hand if you ask me, and surely they were not 25kg each when she packed them for a "short trip" to Sri Lanka.

Maybe it is all lost in translation and the bags were tampered with after being checked in at the airport.

[roamer]

Lot of luggage and a long distance for a visa run.

[Upnotover]

2 hours ago, WHansen said:

Maybe it is all lost in translation and the bags were tampered with after being checked in at the airport.

Or maybe she's a liar.  That seems far more likely.

[JackGats]

Synthetic cannabis or synthetic cannabinoids? Not the same thing. If the latter it could not even be on the list of illegal substances.

[ronnie50]

3 hours ago, WHansen said:

Maybe it is all lost in translation and the bags were tampered with after being checked in at the airport.

If she's telling the truth (if), then this is what I think happened - and it could have happened on air-side after the bags have been checked in and sent down the conveyer belt. The bags are manually removed from the underground conveyer. Her contents removed, the cannibis take their place, and the bags are then sent on to be loaded onto the plane. There would of course need some baggage handlers in Colombo to also be in on this. They'd just remove her tampered incoming bags from their conveyer belt and her bags would never reappear. Pretty simple really. Just needs some coordination and pay-offs of supervisors for shift changes, and/or broken/unplugged CCTV in the conveyor area. 

[Briggsy]

Goodness me.

[proton]

Did she have time to get pregnant as well? thats the usual ploy when caught

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

Sorry Toots, but you should have chosen Onlyfans when you came to the fork in the road.

[quake]

An British air hostess.

The prison reportedly doesn’t provide her with her prescribed ADHD medication.

Lee claimed that those who allegedly arranged the drug drop-off were supposed to meet her in Sri Lanka.

You done girl. 

 

 

[Magictoad]

57 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

If she's telling the truth (if), then this is what I think happened - and it could have happened on air-side after the bags have been checked in and sent down the conveyer belt. The bags are manually removed from the underground conveyer. Her contents removed, the cannibis take their place, and the bags are then sent on to be loaded onto the plane. There would of course need some baggage handlers in Colombo to also be in on this. They'd just remove her tampered incoming bags from their conveyer belt and her bags would never reappear. Pretty simple really. Just needs some coordination and pay-offs of supervisors for shift changes, and/or broken/unplugged CCTV in the conveyor area. 

Not very likely- more likely that she's a drug smuggler that got caught,  one of many recently, if you read the English papers.

[Magictoad]

1 hour ago, JackGats said:

Synthetic cannabis or synthetic cannabinoids? Not the same thing. If the latter it could not even be on the list of illegal substances.

They are calling it " KUSH" . Just a common or garden skunk that's very common here in Thailand. 

[Magictoad]

4 hours ago, WHansen said:

I find this hard to believe, both cases would be 25kg each, she must have noticed the weight.

When she got ready for the flight the next morning did she wear all the same clothes she had on the night before or did she wear a new outfit, if a new outfit,  she must have put her dirty clothes in one of the bags containing 23kg of weed and somehow not noticed all her original luggage had been removed. Could possibly have put everything in a carry on bag i suppose.

A small lady would really struggle to lift 25kg in each hand if you ask me, and surely they were not 25kg each when she packed them for a "short trip" to Sri Lanka.

Maybe it is all lost in translation and the bags were tampered with after being checked in at the airport.

No. I don't think so. She just tried to smuggle 45 keys of weed and got caught.

[Celsius]

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

They must have planted it then. I know who did it,

 

"Show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are"

[BayArea]

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The 21-year-old, hailing from Coulsdon, South London

she looks a lot older than 21. she started working for a major airline at a very young age and now no longer employed with them.  something doesn't add up. 

[Furioso]

46kg. Wow that takes a lot of guts and stupidity and probably desperation to maintain or reach a lavish lifestyle. She's lucky there's no death penalty for importing cannabis in Sri Lanka. 

[Packer]

Looks like she could have put it in her vagina instead. 🙂

[newbee2022]

15 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

46 Kilo is a large amount & she didn't notice the difference to her normal luggage - Hard to believe

I don't think anybody would believe this. And definitely not the cops or judges. Off you go into the jail. At least. In that time her "duck lips" will get natural shape.😂

[KireB]

12 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

If she's telling the truth (if), then this is what I think happened - and it could have happened on air-side after the bags have been checked in and sent down the conveyer belt. The bags are manually removed from the underground conveyer. Her contents removed, the cannibis take their place, and the bags are then sent on to be loaded onto the plane. There would of course need some baggage handlers in Colombo to also be in on this. They'd just remove her tampered incoming bags from their conveyer belt and her bags would never reappear. Pretty simple really. Just needs some coordination and pay-offs of supervisors for shift changes, and/or broken/unplugged CCTV in the conveyor area. 

That is indeed a possibility. A scary one, better seal our suitcases if you cannot lock properly.

[ronster]

Highly unlikely she wouldn't notice how the case felt in weight and to touch from outside unless was a hard shell case .

Why are the airports not questioning whoever was working on the x-ray scanner the days all these drugs have went out of the country ? An average person would see it was many packages all the same from looking at it without any experience.

It is possible also a baggage handler could open someone's case and throw all their stuff out and replace it with drugs. Highly unlikely but not impossible and would take no more than 2 minutes if had the case and drugs at hand.

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Lee believes that during her absence, the drugs were placed in her luggage by unidentified individuals. "They must have planted it then.

She didn't notice 46 kg's in her bag ?

[klauskunkel]

Just now, hotchilli said:

She didn't notice 46 kg's in her bag ?

She not only is a former air hostess, an aspiring lash technician, turns out she is also a power lifter - no wonder she didn't notice...

[ronster]

12 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

If she's telling the truth (if), then this is what I think happened - and it could have happened on air-side after the bags have been checked in and sent down the conveyer belt. The bags are manually removed from the underground conveyer. Her contents removed, the cannibis take their place, and the bags are then sent on to be loaded onto the plane. There would of course need some baggage handlers in Colombo to also be in on this. They'd just remove her tampered incoming bags from their conveyer belt and her bags would never reappear. Pretty simple really. Just needs some coordination and pay-offs of supervisors for shift changes, and/or broken/unplugged CCTV in the conveyor area. 

Or they could just photo the bag once drugs placed , send photo to collector at destination and someone picks it up off the conveyor belt as soon as it comes out. Or they watch the bag at arrivals and follow her to steal the bag from her once it's out of airport.

[Rickman66]

She does look a bit like Donald Duck 

[mikeymike100]

Lee’s claim of being set up and unaware of the drugs may be considered in court, but Sri Lankan law places a high burden on the accused to prove they had no knowledge of the contraband. Without compelling evidence to support her claim, a guilty verdict could result in a life sentence or a lengthy prison term of 20–25 years, as reported by sources like MailOnline and The Sun.

That is a very severe sentence, you really can't blame her for trying?

[renaissanc]

1.  If the amount of drugs was maybe 100 grams I'd believe her. But 43 kgs? 

 

2.  On the off-chance she's telling the truth, it reinforces my belief in the need to check one's own luggage in a toilet before going to Customs in case drugs have been placed inside. It's quite feasible that a small amount could be put in one's luggage on the plane. After all, Chinese passengers are infamous for pilfering people's overhead luggage when the owners are asleep.

[kiwikeith]

24 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

She didn't notice 46 kg's in her bag ?

How come she knew about the drop off, so she knew, guilty 

[worgeordie]

The poor dear is complaining about the food been too spicy in the Sri Lankan prison,

she better get used to it as she will be in there a long time ,some people never learn.

 

regards worgeordie

[Patjqm]

12 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

If she's telling the truth (if), then this is what I think happened - and it could have happened on air-side after the bags have been checked in and sent down the conveyer belt. The bags are manually removed from the underground conveyer. Her contents removed, the cannibis take their place, and the bags are then sent on to be loaded onto the plane. There would of course need some baggage handlers in Colombo to also be in on this. They'd just remove her tampered incoming bags from their conveyer belt and her bags would never reappear. Pretty simple really. Just needs some coordination and pay-offs of supervisors for shift changes, and/or broken/unplugged CCTV in the conveyor area. 

but than...how SHE could have been caught?