A 21-year-old former flight attendant from the UK, Charlotte May Lee, has been arrested in Sri Lanka for allegedly smuggling 46kg (about 101 pounds) of a synthetic drug called "kush." Authorities say the drug was found hidden in her luggage when she arrived at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport earlier this month. Reports claim the drug may even contain human bones. Charlotte is from South London and has been working in Thailand. Since her visa there was expiring, she took a short trip to Sri Lanka while waiting for it to be renewed. If found guilty, she could face up to 25 years in prison.

“I had never seen them before. I thought my luggage just had my stuff,” she said. Charlotte claimed the drugs were planted in her bag and insisted she was innocent. She said she knew who put them there but refused to name the person.

Drug ‘Kush’

The drug found in her bag is called "kush." It’s a dangerous synthetic drug that is popular among teenagers in West Africa. In Sierra Leone, it has caused a major health crisis. Reports say kush has led to the deaths of about a dozen people each week in the country. What’s even more shocking is that the drug is said to contain crushed human bones. Grave robbing has become common there because of this.

Due to the rising number of deaths, the president of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, declared a state of emergency. He called kush a “death trap” and a serious threat to the country.
A senior Sri Lankan customs officer said Charlotte’s case has been a big problem. He mentioned that officials have been keeping a close watch on passengers coming from Bangkok, as the city has become a known route for drug traffickers.

Charlotte is currently being held in a prison north of Colombo. Officials say she is sleeping on a concrete floor. The drugs found in her luggage are estimated to be worth $3.3 million on the street.Her case is not the only one raising concerns. Around the same time, another British woman, Bella Culley from County Durham, was arrested in Georgia. She was caught with more than 30 pounds of hashish and marijuana. Bella had flown in from the United Arab Emirates and is also facing serious drug charges.

Due to the rise in drug smuggling through Bangkok, Sri Lankan authorities are increasing security checks. The customs officer said another passenger who left Bangkok around the same time as Charlotte was arrested in a different country.