A former TUI air stewardess who appeared in a Sri Lankan court over drug charges has reportedly been videoed smiling and talking with guards. Charlotte Lee, 21, from Coulsdon in South London, was arrested after £1.15million worth of cannabis was allegedly found in her baggage after she had flown in from Thailand on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight in May. The reported stash of Kush – a type of cannabis – is thought to be the largest amount since Bandaranaike Airport commenced operations at its international hub.
The drugs, which are said to have weighed 46kg and were worth 460million Sri Lankan rupees, were allegedly packed “tightly”, with officials believing they were destined for “high-end local buyers”. Ms Lee, who is currently in custody in a prison to the north of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty. She has denied any knowledge of the drugs.
Ms Lee told the MailOnline – which has shared the footage of the Brit outside court – after her arrest: “I had never seen them [the drugs] before. I didn’t expect it all when they pulled me over at the airport.
“I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff.”
She then claimed that the cannabis could have been planted, adding that she knew “who did it”.
Ms Lee said she packed her bags prior to going out for the night, and did not check it them before going to the airport.
She has bemoaned the purported conditions she is being kept it, alleging that there are “no beds” and “no blankets”, and she is sleeping in somewhere that resembled “a long corridor with lots of other women”.
Sleeping tablets are handed out, Ms Lee added, also saying that there is just a bucket available to wash with.
Custom officers have been seen in a picture standing behind several bags of the drugs they claim Ms Lee flew with.
She is in contact with her family, Ms Lee’s legal representatives told the BBC last month, and was being visited daily by lawyers.
She first flew into Thailand from the UK to meet a “mystery man” named Rocko before her flight to Sri Lanka, The Sunhas reported.
