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

[sstuff3]

21 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

She described her time there as "awful," painting a picture of stark deprivation. "I feel as though I have no human rights here.

Pretty sure that's the point of prisons, although the western world has lost sight of this long ago....

[Reddavy]

Of course it was sweatheart. You just let someone else pack your suitcase without giving it a thought. 😤😤

[Free the 115]

6 hours ago, renaissanc said:

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.

Ok. Just for the sake of argument if she is telling the truth………

Because of the weight,  it cannot have been in her case(s) before check in

(46 kg is like having a small Thai woman in your case)

naa forget that………

does a short trip to anywhere warrant two heavily laden bags?

(my daughter packing for a weekend? My wallet is heavier than her needs. )

was it placed in her bags after check in?

could’ve been, but……..

did she not notice when she took the cases off the carousel?

 

too many ifs and buts for me to believe she is innocent 

[Briggsy]

It is likely the UK has a reciprocal agreement with Sri Lanka regarding prisoners. She'll probably end up being convicted but serving the latter portion of her sentence in a UK prison. This usually means early release.

[frank83628]

3 hours ago, saakura said:

 Lee claimed that those who allegedly arranged the drug drop-off were supposed to meet her in Sri Lanka, a meeting that never occurred.

 She never left the airport because she was busted. 

 

[MangoKorat]

So not only did she no know what was in her 46kg of luggage, she didn't either book any additional weight or pay for it at check in?

 

Or is she claiming the additional bag (there must have been one because there is a 32kg per bag limit) was added after check in?  If so her luggage receipt (sticker) will only show one bag and the bar code on it will correspond to the bag she checked in.  If she can show that, she's home and dry but I suspect she can't and her story is pure BS.

[lungbing]

"A wicked boy did it and ran away".  They learn that one in kindergarden.

[ronnie50]

10 hours ago, Patjqm said:

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

The authorities could have detected the drugs on arrival and grabbed her and the bags - not necessarily together - and the criminals at the air-side in Colombo baggage handling knew they wouldn't be able to grab the bags.

[ronnie50]

9 hours ago, impulse said:

 

While that's possible, if they have handlers on both ends, why wouldn't they just use their own bags instead of loading her's? 

 

Good question. I guess the answer might be that they don't have the ability to check the bags in and bar code them in the conveyer room air-side. That coding and tagging happens at check in (landside).

[baansgr]

On 5/21/2025 at 4:18 PM, snoop1130 said:

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

 

 

 

Working with no WP..says about all we need to know but why does she need to take 2 big suitcases for "a brief" visit to Sri Lanka 

[ronnie50]

9 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Not a chance of that! The baggage handling area is probably the most secure part of the airport and for good reason. It's the most likely area where an explosive devise might be secreted on to an aircraft. Baggage handlers go through rigorous security checks, going into and out off the area. 

 

The baggage goes through intensive automated X-ray screening for explosives automatically and only if it gets flagged at that point does it come under more intensive scrutiny.

 

Pertty sure you're right - in airports like LHR, JFK and many others. Less sure about Sri Lanka or former Soviet state of Georgia... Then again, places like that might be the ideal airport to give it a go! The check-in at Colombo airport (ever been there? I have) is a complete sh!tshow. Also, one other time flying from there to Bangkok, the guy sitting next to me didn't have a seatbelt.

[ronnie50]

23 hours ago, proton said:

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

might happen in prison..

[gk10012001]

On 5/21/2025 at 5:54 AM, 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.

Yeah.  Her story is very hard to believe.  And her words saying that people were supposed to meet her in Sri Lanka?  What people?  Two or three suitcase for a short trip?  The weight of the cases.  The clothes change or not from the night before.  I can almost believe her taking all her belongings as she checked out of where she was staying in Thailand and she takes all her belongings with her.  I have not checked in any luggage in decades since I had my old American Tourister hard luggage.  Remember that old TV commercial with the porter taking the suitcase then he turns into a gorilla and tosses the case all around inside the elevator!  Too funny.  But that did have a lock and while easy to break open, I always locked my case and I would know if somebody broke into it.  

[gk10012001]

5 hours ago, Free the 115 said:

Ok. Just for the sake of argument if she is telling the truth………

Because of the weight,  it cannot have been in her case(s) before check in

(46 kg is like having a small Thai woman in your case)

naa forget that………

does a short trip to anywhere warrant two heavily laden bags?

(my daughter packing for a weekend? My wallet is heavier than her needs. )

was it placed in her bags after check in?

could’ve been, but……..

did she not notice when she took the cases off the carousel?

 

too many ifs and buts for me to believe she is innocent 

Even though it was supposed to be a short trip, she may always take all her stuff with her if she stays in different hotels and had not real permanent lodging in Thailand?  

[gk10012001]

I still am unsure what an "Air Hostess" is?  Is that the flight attendant on board the plane?  Is that somebody that works in one of the airside lounges?

[gk10012001]

11 hours ago, edwardflory said:

The bags weighed almost as much as she  (100+pounds -US weight ) weighs.

No way a person could  NOT feel the weight difference even with a wheeled suitcase.

 

Several bags on a short trip, yeah right!!!

 

Too many things do not add up especially the stated reason of only a "short trip"

She may move from hotel to hotel and was checking out of the initial one so took all her stuff with her.  

[gk10012001]

22 hours ago, BayArea said:

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. 

21 is her metric age.  convert that to English units and you get 46?