The arrest of the 21-year-old British national, Charlotte May Lee at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last Monday (12) for her alleged attempt to smuggle in 46 kilograms of synthetic cannabis from Bangkok, Thailand to Sri Lanka has raised concerns about a much larger drug trafficking network operating from Thailand.
The drugs found in the former TUI flight attendant’s possession, according to Sri Lanka customs officials, were in more than 90 vacuum sealed plastic bags and estimated to be worth over Rs.48 million and the largest amount of Kush to be detected at the BIA since its opening in 1967. Kush, which is a potent strain of marijuana cut with synthetic and dangerous additives including acetone, formalin, and tramadol, was first seen in Sierra Leone in 2022. Following her arrest, Lee may now face a 20 to 25-year sentence if found guilty of drug trafficking charges.
A video which is now circulating on social media platforms was released by the UK based tabloid Daily Mail, showing Lee speaking to an unidentified British national with a Yorkshire dialect, about the spice levels of the food, sanitation facilities and overcrowding in the Negombo prison where she is currently being held. In the same video, she said that she was unaware as to the Kush which was in her possession.
The drug haul seized at the BIA with Customs officials
While UK officials have said they are supporting Lee and are in contact with her family and the local authorities, the video has caused an uproar among Sri Lankan netizens who have taken to social media inquiring as to how such a video was allowed to be recorded. Some have even raised concerns as to whether there was a lapse at the Negombo prison, which is famous for its strict security checks which do not allow visitors to bring personal mobile phones inside the visiting area, and whether foreign nationals held at the prison are entitled to special privileges.
Spicy food and hidden cameras
The Department of Prisons’ Media Spokesperson Gamini Dissanayake told the Sunday Observer that the claims made by the British suspect are false. According to him, preliminary investigations have revealed that two British nationals who visited Charlotte May Lee along with the lawyer had recorded the video using a concealed camera. Prison officials have now filed a complaint regarding the incident at the Negombo Police Station. “They have recorded this in the visiting area. According to the Negombo Prison officials, they have done so using a camera concealed as a button on the shirt,” the spokesperson said.
Refuting allegations by UK based media outlets and newspapers regarding the food, Dissanayake said that there are many other foreign nationals including Europeans who are currently being held at the Negombo prison and are provided with separate meals keeping the food cultural differences in mind.
He said that a typical meal for a foreign inmate includes poached chicken, boiled eggs, steamed vegetables and potatoes. According to Dissanayake foreign and local inmates receive food that is required according to their medical needs if necessary, provided the doctor’s recommendation and court orders.
In response to the lack of sanitary facilities and personal requests, Dissanayake said that despite the limited resources, the Department of Prisons has introduced a system for foreign inmates to purchase certain personal care items after making a deposit through their legal representative. According to the spokesperson, Charlotte May Lee’s lawyer has made such a deposit and has been provided with a bottle of shampoo, biscuits, toilet paper and other personal care items.
“She is not the first nor only foreign inmate at the Negombo Prison. If any of these claims are true, these issues should have come up before. A visiting committee is there to come and see if prisoners are mistreated, and they can come at any time. The inmate’s respective Embassy or High Commission officials can come and visit. The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission officials can visit. The British High Commission did pay a visit and they said that she is being treated well,” claimed Dissanayake.
The Sunday Observer reached out to the British High Commission, family and friends of Charlotte May Lee for clarification on this matter, but did not receive a response at the time this edition went to press.
However, Dissanayake said that prisons throughout the country are overcrowded and is an issue that is affecting both foreign and local inmates. “Our prisons are only able to hold 14,000 inmates at any given time. But now it is holding 29,000 inmates. In a country like ours, we have to work with what we have,” said Dissanayake.
On Saturday (24), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) published information and guidelines for British prisoners in Sri Lanka which also highlighted the issue of overcrowding in Sri Lankan prisons. “Sri Lankan prisons are extremely overcrowded. This is in part owing to the lack of facilities. The accused spend a considerable time in remand before they are formally charged or before the cases are heard. The conditions within prisons are difficult because of the overcrowding and the heat,” it said. A message that one might say comes a bit too late for Charlotte May Lee who according to legal experts, if convicted could be looking up to 20 to 25 years behind bars.
Banged up abroad
Media Spokesperson Gamini Dissanayake
Chris Stacey
Charlotte May Lee’s arrest was followed by a similar case in less than a day, 3000 miles away. An 18-year-old female British national, Bella May Culley was arrested in Georgia attempting to smuggle 14 kg of Kush from Thailand. The drugs, which were packed in similar industrial manner in both cases, flew out of Thailand through the Southeast Asian country’s busiest international airport. In both cases, the suspects claim they have been unaware of the content in their luggage and were supposed to meet a local upon arrival. She too now has made complaints of food served in the US prison and has expressed her wish to return home.
However, the FCDO has said it cannot get British citizens out of jail in Georgia or help anyone get special treatment because they are British.
The Chief Executive of Prisoners Abroad – UK-registered human rights and welfare charity which supports British citizens who are imprisoned overseas, Chris Stacey told the media that most young women and teenagers fall victim to unsuspected drug trafficking networks who exploit the vulnerability of these travellers. “When you see suitcases full of drugs, it is easy to jump to conclusions and theories. They are in a foreign country, surrounded by a foreign language, surrounded by unfamiliar circumstances. You are vulnerable. And that’s the case for a lot of women that are young and are travelling on their own,” said Stacey.
The Sri Lanka Customs also informed the Sunday Observer that they have noticed a shift in the “mules” who were traditionally used to smuggle in drugs to the country and said that travellers must be more vigilant about their belongings. They also said that Sri Lanka has recorded an increase in cannabis and cannabinoid related products being trafficked into the country since Thailand legalised the cultivation and selling of cannabis in the country.
