A British former air hostess detained in Sri Lanka over allegations she tried to smuggle £1.2m of synthetic cannabis has been moved from a prison hit by deadly riots, the Mirror can reveal.
Charlotte May Lee, 22, from Surrey, had been held at Negombo Prison, north of the capital Colombo, for nearly 18 months. She has now been transferred to the nearby Kuliyappitiya jail following Sri Lanka's most violent prison clashes since 2012, which left at least 20 inmates and 10 prison officers dead.
Fears had been raised for Charlotte's safety during the violence, but insiders say she is now "coping well" with conditions and has even learned to speak the local language to communicate with fellow inmates.
Riots and transfer
A source said: "Charlotte was traumatised by the riots, a lot of people lost their lives. When the riots happened at Negombo, people were worried for her safety but she survived and has been moved. She is alone in a foreign country, it's very frightening. But she is now in Kuliyappitiya prison."
The source added: "She is coping with the situation. She has been here for more than a year and she knows the situation and how it works. She has learned to speak the language so she can communicate with other prisoners. For a long time there was a language barrier and that was very difficult. She is desperate to get home, but she knows there's nothing she can do."
Charlotte was arrested at Colombo Airport in May last year after authorities allegedly found 46kg of the potent synthetic drug kush in her luggage. The stash, reportedly worth £1.2m, had been packed in large, vacuum-sealed bags. She insists she had "no idea" drugs were hidden inside and claims they were planted during her trip from Bangkok, Thailand.
Detention and legal status
Despite being held for nearly 18 months, the former TUI air stewardess has not yet been formally charged or indicted. She faces up to 25 years in jail if convicted. She previously spoke from her cell in Negombo, where she shares a cramped room with five other women, sleeping on a thin mattress on the concrete floor. She said: "This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time. I can't compare it to anything."
Earlier this year it emerged 30 people had been killed and more than 100 others injured after two days of violence at Negombo. It was said to have been sparked by clashes between two groups of inmates. Prisoners are alleged to have grabbed guards' guns, before groups of male prisoners, and women from an adjoining unit, climbed on to prison rooftops demanding to be released. Inmates later tried to rush the prison gates. The violence was reportedly triggered by a clash over an inmate informing on a drug trafficking operation inside.
Charlotte's lawyer, Sampath Perera, said "being detained in a foreign country could be particularly challenging, especially when individuals were unfamiliar with the local language, legal procedures and prison environment". He said: "Being away from family and dealing with legal proceedings in an unfamiliar country can be emotionally difficult. Language barriers and limited family contact can make the experience even more challenging."
He added: "All matters relating to bail and other legal proceedings are subject to the decisions of the relevant courts and the applicable laws of Sri Lanka. As legal representatives, our responsibility is to assist our clients within the legal framework while fully respecting the judicial process. Our priority is to ensure that our client receives appropriate legal representation and that all necessary steps are taken in accordance with the law and established judicial procedures."
Wider context of drug mule arrests
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British woman who was arrested in Sri Lanka and remain in contact with her family and the local authorities."
Charlotte's continued detention comes after Bella Culley, 19, walked free from a Georgian jail after a five-month ordeal. Pregnant Bella, from Billingham, Teesside, was arrested in May last year after allegedly smuggling 31lb of cannabis from Thailand. She told the court she had been forced into trafficking by a violent gang who branded her and threatened her life. Her family reportedly paid £140,000 to secure her release, with prosecutors agreeing to free her on compassionate grounds.
Bella is now back in the UK. Her case has drawn international attention to the growing number of young British travellers allegedly being exploited by drug gangs across Asia. Government figures have shown the number of young British nationals arrested abroad after being recruited as drug mules more than quadrupled over three years, rising from just over 80 arrests in 2023 to more than 340 in 2025, with the increase driven by cannabis-related offences linked to Thailand and elsewhere in South East Asia.
People are lured by gangs with the "promise [of] free travel or a quick way to make cash", said Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty, who warned of harsh treatment if detained abroad. Last year, a Mirror probe found Thailand-based drug gangs were recruiting people to transport large quantities of cannabis in suitcases. Cannabis is a Class B drug in the UK, with penalties of up to five years in prison for possession and up to 14 years for supply and production, as well as unlimited fines. The Foreign Office said more than 200 British nationals have been detained on suspicion of smuggling cannabis from Thailand, a popular tourist destination. Since 2024, around 60% of them have been aged between 16 and 30.
