Charlotte May Lee, 21, was stopped at an airport in Sri Lanka after arriving from Thailand, with authorities claiming she was carrying cannabis valued at more than £1m
A former TUI stewardess claims a British man set her up after she was stopped at an airport with cannabis valued at £1.2million.
Charlotte May Lee was arrested after landing in Sri Lanka from Thailand last week, and is accused of having 46kg of the drug in her luggage. The part-time beautician from Chipstead, Surrey is currently being held in a “rotting” cell near the capital of Colombo. She had just landed from Bangkok when she was arrested at Bandaranaike Airport on May 12 and she has been held in custody since.
She reportedly claims that a British man of Pakistani origin who she only knows by the first name Dan, bought her the airline ticket. He also is alleged to have given her the suitcases which he packed while providing cash for the airline’s excess baggage fee and he said one of the bags contained his clothing.
‘Dan’ is also supposed to have told her that Sir Lanka was a “lovely place for a holiday” and that they would have a “wonderful time” but he had to first remain in Bangkok to see a friend, before joining her.
Police sources in Sri Lanka, reported the Mail, said that Charlotte has changed her story various times, while claiming her to be “desperate and incredibly naive”. She apparently said that she knew nothing more about Dan – not even his surname or phone number.
It is also claimed that she said she had never visited Sri Lanka before but police believe she came in January. “This woman is in a lot of trouble and will not help herself by failing to tell the truth,” reportedly said the police source. “The investigation is only just beginning and we will be looking closely at her previous visit, who she was with and where she went.”
It appears as though the Sri Lankan police do not believe her version while they continue to investigate the case. A mugshot has been released in which she looks nervously at the camera while dressed in an all-white outfit and shiny sandals. The photograph was taken shortly after she was arrested.
New images also show the drugs in large vacuum-sealed bags which were allegedly put into her luggage and found at the airport. The bags were stacked up and laid out on a table with members of Colombo’s Police Narcotic Unit standing behind.
Currently she is at Negombo Prison, north of the capital, and she was told in court this week that she may not be sentenced for another 12 months while she could face 25 years in jail at the brutal Welikada Prison if convicted.