By: Staff Writer
May 20, Colombo (LNW): UK authorities are providing support to a British woman arrested in Sri Lanka, as reports emerge that she has been accused of attempting to smuggle a significant quantity of cannabis into the country.
Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon in south London, was reportedly detained on Monday at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport after arriving on a flight from Bangkok. According to local reports, Sri Lankan authorities allege she tried to smuggle two suitcases containing 46kg (101lbs) of “kush,” a potent and dangerous strain of cannabis.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed its involvement, stating: “We are supporting a British woman who has been arrested in Sri Lanka and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.”
Kush is not just a form of cannabis; it is often laced with other harmful substances such as fentanyl, tramadol, and formaldehyde. This highly addictive synthetic blend has caused a public health crisis in parts of West Africa, with reports suggesting it may be responsible for dozens of deaths and thousands of hospitalisations weekly in countries like Sierra Leone.
Lee, a former TUI cabin crew member, had more recently been working as a beautician. Her case draws parallels with that of another young British woman, Bella Culley, who is currently being held in Georgia under suspicion of drug offences.
Culley, 18, had initially been reported missing in Thailand before Georgian authorities announced she had been arrested in Tbilisi on 10 May. During a court appearance earlier this week, she faced accusations of purchasing, possessing, and importing large quantities of drugs, including marijuana.
Georgian police said they had seized 12kg (26lbs) of marijuana and just over 2kg (4.4lbs) of hashish from a travel bag at Tbilisi International Airport.
Before her arrest, Culley had reportedly travelled from the Philippines to Thailand in early May. Her family had expressed concern over her whereabouts until Georgian authorities confirmed her detention.
Culley is the great-granddaughter of former Labour MP Frank Cook, who represented Stockton North for 27 years and once served as a deputy speaker in the House of Commons. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 76 after battling lung cancer.
Both cases highlight the growing concern over drug trafficking involving young British nationals overseas and the complex legal challenges they may face abroad.
