UK Woman Faces 25-Year Sentence in Sri Lanka After Being Caught with $3.3M Worth of Synthetic Drug 'Kush' Made from Human Bones

Former flight attendant Charlotte May Lee, 21, faces up to 25 years in prison for drug smuggling.

A 21-year-old former flight attendant from the United Kingdom faces up to 25 years in a Sri Lankan prison after being caught allegedly smuggling more than 100 pounds of a deadly synthetic drug known as "kush" through Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport.

Charlotte May Lee, from south London, was arrested earlier this month after customs officials discovered two suitcases filled with the highly addictive substance. With a street value of approximately $3.3 million, the May 12 seizure marks the largest haul of kush ever recorded in Sri Lanka.

The young British woman was arrested in Sri Lanka earlier this month with more than 100 lbs of the deadly synthetic drug kush in her luggage

Lee, who had been working in Thailand, claimed the drugs were planted in her luggage without her knowledge. According to her lawyer, Sampath Perera, she flew to Sri Lanka for a short stay while awaiting a visa renewal in Thailand. “I had never seen them before,” Lee said from prison. “I didn’t expect it at all when they pulled me over at the airport. I thought it was going to be filled with all my stuff.” She also stated, “I know who did it,” but has not disclosed the identity of the alleged perpetrator.

Lee is currently being held in harsh conditions in a prison north of Colombo, where she is reportedly sleeping on a concrete floor. She has maintained contact with her family.

The haul, with an estimated street value of $3.3 million, is the largest of its kind in Sri Lanka’s history

Kush, a synthetic drug that originated in West Africa, has become a devastating public health crisis, particularly in Sierra Leone, where it kills an estimated dozen people weekly. The drug is especially popular among young men and is known to cause dangerous side effects such as sudden blackouts, disoriented behavior, and wandering into traffic.

One of the most disturbing aspects of kush is its reported use of human bones as an ingredient. The demand for the drug has reportedly led to widespread grave robbing in Sierra Leone, prompting heightened security in cemeteries. In response to the growing crisis, President Julius Maada Bio declared a national state of emergency, calling kush a “death trap” and warning that it poses an “existential crisis” to the nation.

Lee who is being held in a Sri Lankan jail claims the drugs were planted in her suitcases

Lee’s arrest is part of a broader concern for Sri Lankan authorities, who say there has been a marked increase in drug trafficking from Bangkok. A senior customs official revealed that Lee was apprehended through profiling efforts and added, “Another passenger who had left Bangkok airport, almost at the same time, was arrested in another country.”

That passenger is 22-year-old Bella Culley from County Durham, England, who was detained in Georgia just two days earlier, allegedly carrying over 30 pounds of marijuana and hashish. Georgian authorities have charged Culley with multiple offenses, including illegal drug importation and possession of large quantities of narcotics.

She had been in Thailand when she flew to Sri Lanka because her visa was expiring

Authorities in Sri Lanka continue to warn about the growing threat of synthetic drug smuggling through Asian transit hubs. With Lee's high-profile arrest, the government hopes to send a strong message to international traffickers using the region as a gateway.